Breath
by eventinierboat
Summary: Where were you on the day it started? Lucy hated that question. It brought back memories of the worst days of her life, not that now was much better. As much as she tried to forget those horrid moments, her brain forced her to recall them, each one as clear as day. Of course, she didn't want to answer the question but she had no choice. It was the only way to make it out alive.
1. The World is up in Arms

**Chapter 1: The World is Up in Arms**

If Lucy was to recount her story, she would start with the day she discovered Fairy Tail. Of course, it wasn't the base she discovered, but rather a brave and fearless member with beautiful blue hair. Her name was Wendy and it was Lucy who saved her life.

Lucy smiled as she tiptoed around the seemingly abandoned house. This was a new town and it looked surprisingly untouched. She'd seen the occasional zombie but it looked like there hadn't been too many inhabitants here, to begin with.

As she searched around the house, her first stop was the kitchen. Lucy was running dangerously low on food and water, so she prayed that there was something she could salvage.

"Score!" She whispered when she opened a cabinet. It was stocked with plenty of packaged food. She grabbed a few boxes and ripped one open. It was a box of cookies! When was the last time she had tasted the deliciousness of a cookie? Cramming a few into her mouth, she forced herself to close the box and continued her search.

A thought popped into her head. _Maybe if there aren't any zombies here, I can stay here for a while._

She quickly vanquished it and shook her head. Her number one rule was to always be moving. Zombies couldn't track you as easily if you were moving.

But…

It wouldn't hurt to stay here the night. She had caught a glimpse of the bathroom and there was a bath! If she could get the generator working, she could finally wash away all the dirt that had accumulated on her body over the past couple of months. If she was lucky, she could get some new clothes too.

With her mind made up, she started the process of zombie-proofing the house. First, she combed each room, looking for any zombies that may be lurking around. Second, she proceeded to barricade herself inside the house, boarding up all windows, especially the broken ones. After bolting all the doors shut, she went into the basement to try to fix that generator.

Now, she was no expert, but she remembered a lesson that Capricorn had taught her after the apocalypse. With hope in her heart, she sat down to work.

No less than 2 hours later, the house was running on electricity. But for how long it would last, only Mavis would know, so Lucy rushed to the bathroom to take the first bath she'd had in weeks.

She let out a sigh as she lowered herself into the warm water and immediately started scrubbing the dirt off her body. When she finished, she noticed how black the water had become and decided to step out while she drained it.

"Has it really been that long?" She said, wistfully. She was met with silence, but it was all the answer she needed. 3 years ago, she was surrounded by people, noise always littering the air. At the time, she had wished for silence. She was foolish then.

She left the bath draining and went to check out what else there was in the kitchen. The moment she opened the refrigerator, she cringed in disgust as the smell of rotten food flooded her nose. She quickly closed it and went to look elsewhere for food.

She settled with a can of soup that smell expired, but tasted okay. She made sure to leave behind the chunks of what supposed to be potato, but really looked like poop. As she ate, she enjoyed the warmth of the fire she had started. Yes, it was risky, but she really couldn't care at that moment. Without even meaning to, her days of surviving with no sleep caught up with her and her eyelids dropped ever so slowly, finally closing so Lucy can collect her energy.

Banging on the door woke Lucy up., her first thought being zombies. Lucy's instincts kicked in as she snatched a knife from her pocket and crept towards the door. She cursed herself for falling asleep so quickly and easily.

The banging intensified and she heard a shout. Her ears perked up and she could've sworn that the voice belonged to a human. There was another shout.

"Please! Help me!" The voice was high and desperate.

A young girl?

"Damn it," she hissed and quickly unlocked the door, yanking it open.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a short girl with dirty blue hair. But, that didn't shock her. It was the two zombies behind her.

Acting on pure instinct again, she yanked the girl's arm, pulling her inside. Next, she threw her only knife at the first zombie, nailing him in the head. The zombie fell and stayed down.

Quickly, she slammed the door shut and ran to the kitchen where her supplies were. There was banging on the door and she assumed that the zombie was trying to break down.

"Hurry!" The girl cried.

She grabbed two more knives and a pistol before the door was broken down and the zombie stumbled in, causing the girl to scream. It ran towards the noise, snarling and drooling.

Lucy was ready though and she made sure her body covered the poor girl as she pulled the trigger. The shot was loud, but it was worth it as the zombie stopped right in its tracks with a confused look on its disgusting face and then it toppled over. Blood splattered everywhere and a couple of drops landed on Lucy, reminding her how close that was.

"Well, whoever said that zombies were slow was fucking wrong." She said in relief. To her surprise, the girl she had just saved laughed weakly. She knew she was gonna like this one.

"Well then. My name's Lucy. Nice to meet you!" She said.

The girl looked up.

"My name's Wendy. Thank you so much for saving me." The girl - no… Wendy said sweetly.

(986)

**AN:**

**Hello all! Thank you for reading this because this is my first story and all. I just wanted to let you know that if you want me to continue this, the following chapters are much longer and better. I will also update weekly. This is just a trial run. Please favorite, follow, and review!**

**PS: Image is not mine, so kudos to the original artist and Fairy Tail is all thanks to Hiro Mashima. Only the story/plot itself is mine.**

**-eventinierboat**


	2. All of the Pieces Falling Apart

**Chapter 2: All of the Pieces Falling Apart**

"_Well then. My name's Lucy. Nice to meet you!" She said._

_The girl looked up._

"_My name's Wendy. Thank you so much for saving me." The girl - no… Wendy said sweetly._

* * *

Lucy's smile faded as she heard shouting in the distance. The noises were definitely not human.

"Shit. They heard the shot. We gotta leave." Lucy said.

She ordered Wendy to go pack her bag with food while Lucy quickly gathered the weapons she had found in the house. Her favorite was this contraption the previous owners had probably made, an axe fused with a shotgun. To her dismay, she couldn't fit it in her bag. Panicking, she threw it aside and hoped that she could make her own one day. She quickly tampered with the oven and gas stove before running out the back door, exposing them to all predators.

No less than two minutes later, Lucy saw a horde of zombies head for the house. Why were there so many? Where had they been hiding?

Pushing her questions aside, she waited for the majority to barge into the house before setting her trap. The entire house went up in flames, frying the zombies who had stolen her first hideout for a long time.

"Woah!" Wendy breathed, staring at the flames as they climbed higher.

"C'mon. We have to leave now. More are coming." Lucy hissed, dragging Wendy with her.

"Ya know what Lucy?" Wendy started. "I think you and my brother would get along really well."

Lucy stopped and stared at the girl.

"B-brother? Is he alive?" She asked, wincing at how blunt she was. She hoped Wendy didn't think she meant it in _that_ way.

Wendy nodded.

"Alright then. So you're no alone." Lucy decided. Wendy nodded.

Lucy caught sight of the tattoo on Wendy's shoulder.

"Are you part of a base?"

Wendy's eyes widened as she nodded. "How did you know?"

"Your tattoo. Did you come here with a party or group?"

Wendy hesitated before letting tears form in her eyes.

"Eh? Nonono! Don't cry! I, uhh, ummm…" Lucy trailed off.

"It's not your fault," Wendy said softly.

"Hey… hey. You can talk to me. I won't tell anyone. What happened out there?" Lucy assured the girl. Who could she tell? Plue, her imaginary friend?

Wendy told Lucy her story as they walked through the streets.

"_Are sure you sure want to go?" A white-haired woman had asked. It was Wendy's mother._

"_Yeah. They need me. Besides, it's a District 4 town. Practically no zombies." Wendy said. _

_Her mother and brother made a face as her brother actually voiced his concerns. _

"_It ain't the same as no zombies. Besides, I don't think Jet n' Droy are the best choice to go with."_

_Wendy shot him a look as she heard her name being called. "Jet and Droy are as good as any runner. Now stop worrying and let me go."_

_The shouting became more persistent._

"_Love ya! I'll be back!" She shouted happily as she ran towards her escorts. It was a simple raiding mission. What could possibly go wrong?_

_As she ran, she heard her brother mutter, "I have a bad feelings about this."_

_She ignored it and let her excitement flood her mind. _

_2 Hours Later_

"_Welcome to paradise Wendy!" Jet joked. _

_While Droy pulled their van next to a house that looked stocked, Jet briefed Wendy on what was going to happen. _

"_So I want ya to sit the first one out just so you can see what to do. That way, your brother won't kill us." _

_Wendy nodded. It was no surprise that her brother's reputation preceded him. _

"_It's pretty easy. I'm gonna case the house real quick to make sure there ain't any zombies waiting to sneak attack. If I find one, I kill it. Then, I'll call Droy in if either I'm in trouble or it's all clear. We take whatever we can, load it into the truck, and then hit the next house." _

_Wendy understood their strategy and gave him a smile as he went in, shotgun loaded. Right before he left, he left Wendy a knife. _

"_Just in case." He had said. Better safe than sorry. Wendy gulped and prayed she wouldn't have to use it. _

_She watched Jet signal to Droy that he was entering the house and then he disappeared. The house appeared to be two stories with a basement, so she estimated that it would take him about 20 minutes to fully case it._

_When 15 minutes had passed, Wendy was pretty nervous. She couldn't shake her brother's comment form earlier and her mind began to travel to very dark places._

"_DROY!" A panicked shout came from what appeared to be the first floor._

_Droy ran without any hesitation to support his friend. He just knew. Wendy knew. Her brother had known._

"_Wendy, stay in the car!" Droy shouted, turning the safety off on his gun. Wendy clutched the knife Jet had given her and prayed that they would be alright. They had to be messing around, right? Right?_

_Wendy would never forget the next few moments. Although she didn't really see them, she could clearly visualize based upon the shouts that came from the damned house._

_A shot went out._

"_Jet! JET! Oh god. Hang in there man! Do it for Levy!" _

"_RUN DROY! DO IT NOW! KILL ME!"_

"_I'm not leaving you! Levy needs both of us!"_

"_Well I think Levy would rather have one of us rather than none." _

"_Damn it Jet. Get up! I can assure you that others will be coming."_

"_Idiot! Can't you see I'm already infected? Kill me now, get Wendy and run."_

_There was gagging and coughing. Screams of pain could be heard coming from the two, one in physical pain and another in emotional agony._

"_You are my BEST FRIEND, JET. I'D RATHER FUCKING DIE THAN LEAVE YOU LIKE THIS." Droy let out a strangled moan._

"_WENDY RUN! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE! WE AIN'T MAKING IT!" Jet screamed as he began his transformation. _

_Droy watched in horror as his best friend started convulsing, blood coming from his mouth and flowing out of his eyes. It was horrendous how fast the virus spread through the body._

_He readied both his gun and Jet's, planning to kill them both. "For Fairy Tail," he whispered, sobbing._

_But…_

_The gunshots were never heard as second zombie snuck up on Droy and bit him. _

_Wendy was sobbing as she heard the mangled screams coming from the house, slowly transitioning from human to monster. _

"_Move. I have to..move," She thought to herself, but her body was paralyzed with fear. She could only watch as three zombies emerged from the house. By then, her body was shaking._

_She had loved Droy and Jet like family. They had always supported her dream to become a doctor, even after the world ended. To see them like this, eyeless monsters, broke her. _

_She was gonna die too. Where could she go? She couldn't drive and she had nowhere to run. _

_But then, she pictured her brother and mother, waiting for her back at home. Levy in the library and Sheila watching her mother work. She couldn't leave all that behind. She couldn't let down her family like that. She needed to survive._

_She scanned her surrounding, just like her brother had taught her. She saw a house, boarded up. That wasn't the weird part. It was the fact that she could see smoke coming from a chimney. That meant someone was home._

_She looked back at the zombies, who were quickly closing in on her. _

_She had a knife. She could use it to slow them down and then what? Try to outrun them?_

_It was her only shot. She opened the door of the car and stepped out. The zombies immediately zeroed in on her, licking their lips and chattering their teeth. _

_She called back on the one lesson Erza had taught her before her mom caught them and forbidden it. Knife throwing._

_Praying to the gods, she threw the knife and ran._

Wendy was sobbing by the time she finished her story and Lucy's heart broke. She knew what it was like to see family turn. But she also knew what it was like to kill them.

"Well then, let's get you back to your camp," She said softly. "I know it hurts, but you brother and mom are probably going to be worried sick."

Wendy nodded and grabbed Lucy's hand, causing her to flinch.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Wendy said, sniffling sheepishly.

"Nononono! Don't worry! It's just been a long time since someone had held my hand." Lucy said, refusing to remember who the last person was.

"Lead the way, Wendy."

(1467)

* * *

**AN:**

**Thank you for reading! I updated early because I was so surprised that I actually got some reviews, favorites, and followers! Below are some replies to comments!**

**sharmintisharminti: thank you! I was hoping I didn't accidentally copy someone! This fandom is kinda big...**

**its-actually-kate: Aww, thanks! Well, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Ushindeshi: Why thank you very much. I think it's a great AU in general and I hope I can make the most of this story.**

**Rate and Review, please! **


	3. Gotta get out while you can!

**Chapter 3: Gotta Get out While You Can**

As soon as dusk hit, Lucy knew they had to stop walking and find somewhere to hide. Luckily enough, she found a shed that looked sturdy enough.

"It's getting late. We need to find shelter." She said, leading Wendy over to the shed.

The poor girl found herself to be exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Lucy honestly felt for the girl. She remembered the how she felt the first time she saw someone turn. It was horrifying, especially since at the time, no one knew what was happening.

"Take this," Lucy said, handing Wendy yet another knife. "I know it's a lot to ask of you right now, but you need to trust me. I'm going to make sure that this shed it zombie-free, which means I'll be going in alone. I WILL come back, got it?"

Wendy was silent.

"Got it?" Lucy said, a little more harshly.

The girl nodded and Lucy began to creep up to the shed. At once, she flung the door open and held her gun in front of her. She relaxed a little and waved Wendy to come over.

Wendy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and ran to the shed.

"It's gonna be a tight fit, but it'll have to do," Lucy said, surveying the place. It looked untouched.

"We'll eat a little, drink some water, and then you can sleep. You've had a long day." Lucy said. "I'll keep watch."

Wendy's eyes widened.

"But Lucy! Aren't you gonna sleep?"

The older girl shook her head. "I got about 8 hours last night. It should last me a few days."

Wendy tried not to think about how hard that was on Lucy, but she noticed how big the bags under Lucy's eyes were.

"So which is it? Chocolate cookies or sugar cookies?" Lucy asked, changing the topic.

Wendy's stomach growled loudly as her eyes glowed with hunger.

"Sugar please!" She said excitedly. She loved sugar cookies before the world ended. It had been 2 years since she had actually tasted one.

"Careful. They might be a little stale." Lucy warned, but Wendy had no concern about that as she tried to savor the sweetness that flowed through her mouth.

Once they had eaten, they drank their water and talked for a bit.

"So Wendy… What's it like to be with a base?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know about other bases, but Fairy Tail is like a family. We have to be. We need to have each others' backs if we want to win this in the end. We need to trust each other. We need to be able to be both silly and serious at the appropriate times." The bluenette said. "That's why Fairy Tail is so great."

Lucy stared at the girl. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Why'd you ask? Were you ever in a base?" Wendy asked.

Lucy shook her head. "Not a base per se, but it was pretty close to one."

"What happened to them?"

"They all died," Lucy said, bluntly. "Didn't even make it to the second month."

Wendy was quiet after that and slowly drifted asleep while Lucy blocked out the painful memories that had resurfaced.

She wasn't ready to remember them.

Looking that the slumbering girl (not in a creepy way), Lucy made a promise that she would return her to her family and give that brother of hers a scolding for sending Wendy out into the open with no weapon experience or suitable protection. She also decided she would teach Wendy a few of the basics. It was necessary to be able to defend yourself in this world, no matter how old you were.

Lucy was determined to make sure this girl survived, regardless of the cost.

When the sun started rising, Lucy gently shook Wendy awake.

"We should start heading towards your base." She said, gathering all their belongings. After debating whether or not to head North, she followed her gut instinct and went South.

"What about the car?" Wendy asked.

"Hm?"

"I came in a car, remember?" Wendy insisted.

"Oh yeah. I'd say wait a few days after we reach your base to retrieve it. That town's probably swarming with zombies by now."

"But it's a sector 4 town!" Wendy said.

"A sector what-now?"

"Sector 4. Fairy Tail organized Fiore into 6 sectors. So far, we've mostly cleared sectors 4, 5, and 6. We're working on sector 3." Wendy explained.

Lucy scoffed. "You called this town cleared? I think you and your friends are gonna have to re-clear this sector. If you claim that there were no zombies before, there will definitely be plenty now."

Wendy burrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The best way to kill a mass amount of zombies is by burning them. The only downside: zombies are attracted by the smell of other burning zombies. Freaky. I know. While this can sometimes be useful, it's usually very annoying." Lucy said.

Wendy's eyes widened at her companion's words.

"Wait. you guys didn't know?" Lucy asked, astonished. "I'm starting to wonder how Fairy Tail is still around."

"My brother… he loves to burn the zombies in sector 3. Oh god. We have to hurry!" Wendy shouted.

"Shhh!" Lucy said.

"Bu-"

"Quiet. There's something up ahead." Lucy hissed, reaching into her back pocket to pull out a rather sharp looking knife. She pulled Wendy behind a wall of a house.

_How many weapons does Lucy have? We're only allowed two each at Fairy Tail. And that's only if you're a hunter._

Peering around the corner, Wendy noticed Lucy flinch and then come back to safety.

"Alright. There are 3 zombies, possibly more." Lucy mumbled to herself. She tried to figure out the best strategy in killing them all, but in all possibilities, one ended up biting Wendy. Unless…

"How much training do you have in killing zombies?" Lucy asked. She already knew the answer. Barely anything.

"Only knife-throwing. My brother was the fighter in the family. I was better suited for first aid." Wendy whispered back.

"Well then. There's nothing like learning on the job, right?"

Wendy gasped.

Suddenly, two knives were shoved into her hands.

"There are 3 zombies right around the corner. I want you to throw one knife at the zombie at…. 11:00 while I take care of the others. Keep the other knife in case more appear." Lucy said.

She didn't even give Wendy enough time to answer as she shot out from behind the house, charging at the enemy.

"NOW WENDY!" She yelled.

Wendy took a deep breath and threw the knife with all her might. A few seconds later, there were three dead zombies, each with a knife sticking out of its head.

"Nice one," Lucy said. "Now, we gotta clean the knives and get going."

"Huh?"

"Well… I don't have a limitless arsenal, so I gotta take the weapons I find and clean off the blood." Lucy explained.

Wendy cocked her head, her mind flashing to her brother's heartbroken face.

"I don't suppose you've ever come across a gun with a dragon on it?" She asked.

Lucy furrowed her brows before rummaging through her bag.

"You mean this one?"

Wendy nodded eagerly.

"Why? Is it yours?"

"Nope. It's my brother's."

"If that's the case, then I'll save it until I meet him," Lucy said. "And then I'll _consider_ returning it."

Wendy laughed.

"I guess it serves him right for losing it," Wendy said.

"It sure does. Now, that was good knife throwing. Kudos to whoever taught you." Lucy said.

"Yeah. Erza is our resident weapons expert. She's mastered every weapon found, but she prefers swords."

Lucy thought that was odd, but didn't comment.

"Unfortunately, knife throwing is not enough to carry anyone out here. In order to survive you need to know how to use a gun, fight with a knife and spar. I plan on teaching a few things to you before you return to your base." Lucy said.

Wendy's eyes shined in amazement.

"You'll teach me?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes. Now for your first lesson: Never throw your last knife."

Wendy listened intently to Lucy's lessons as they continued walking. Within two days, Wendy was able to effectively stab and dodge zombies.

Lucy's teaching methods were crude, yet effective. She'd pick houses with one to two zombies and have Wendy clear it. But, don't worry. She didn't leave Wendy there to die. She was ready to intervene if she felt that the situation became too drastic.

Next in her plan was to teach Wendy to shoot a gun. This was going to be risky since Zombies were attracted to noise, but maybe she could use that to her advantage.

"This is the safety switch. When you're just carrying it on you, make sure the switch is on. Otherwise, you could kill yourself. How old are you?" Lucy asked, realizing she had never wondered prior.

"12."

"Old enough I guess," Lucy said, shrugging. She had honestly thought Wendy was older since she seemed to mature. But that's what an apocalypse can do to you.

"What about you?" Wendy asked.

"I guess I'd be 19 by now," Lucy said. "Anyway, this is how you hold a gun." She said, quickly changing the subject.

Wendy nodded and mimicked the position with her own hands.

Lucy had made makeshift targets for practice, but from the moment Wendy started practice, Lucy knew that she wouldn't need them. Whether it was pure determination or instinct, Wendy was a natural.

"Damn. It took me two weeks to improve my aim for an 80% accuracy rate." Lucy commented. "Now let's get some good practice. Trust me when I say that a moving target is much more difficult than a still one."

Wendy smiled, excited. She had always felt useless at Fairy Tail. She wasn't advanced enough to really help her mother in their makeshift hospital, and she hadn't been allowed to train to hunt or clear. Now she could actually help out.

"Let's do this!" Wendy cried as they ran to a house that looked like it held zombies.

They worked their way from the first floor to the second. Wendy had killed 5 while Lucy had gotten 7.

"At this rate, we could probably get that car. I think you know enough to get you started. I'll drive you to your base and then you can become a clearer." Lucy said.

Wendy felt her heart drop. Startled by her own reactions, she tried to think about why she was feeling this way. It hit her. She didn't want to leave Lucy, the first person to treat her like a person, not something to be protected.

"Lucy…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to join Fairy Tail?"

(1796)

* * *

**AN:**

**Thank you for reading! Answers to some comments below:**

**Ushindeshi:**** Why thank you! I had a lot of fun writing that, and no... it's not as sadistic as it sounds. I love Jet and Droy as much as I love any other Fairy Tail member, but I think that their deaths will play a great role in the story and in showing Lucy companionship for the first time. I hope this chapter was to your liking.**

**Kalessia04:**** I am sooooo happy that you chose my story! Your grammar was great, but I will not say who Wendy's brother is, even though its pretty obvious. THANK YOU!**

**sharmintisharminti:**** Well, I can't promise I will stop messing with your heart, I am glad you were touched by the scene:)**

**TeamSophie909:**** So glad you like my story! I'm happy to say that my goal is being met if my readers are being so affected by my writing. **

**Rate and Review Please! (PS: Please let me know if I made any grammar/spelling mistakes!)**


	4. The Drums Inside My Chest

**Chapter 4: The Drums Inside My Chest**

Natsu ran to the weapons' room. It was almost dark.

"They should be back by now. Something's wrong. I can feel it." He shouted at his friends.

"I'm going out."

Gray and Erza had no choice but to go with the hothead. He was already reckless as it was, but adding in his sister to the equation, he was going to get killed.

"Wait up Flame Brain, we're coming too." Gray shouted, trying to catch up to Natsu.

"Oi Max! We need our weapons. Quick!" Natsu snarled.

"But it's nig-"

"Weapons. Now." Erza said, her aura coming out. Believe it or not, she really cared about Wendy and Natsu, despite whatever people said.

Max complied, fearing the woman's bad side.

"Please be careful." Max said.

"Oh no. It's not us who's gonna get hurt." Natsu said darkly. "Let's go."

They all piled into Natsu's pickup truck and Natsu slammed his foot on the pedal.

"Oi! Do remember that I'm in the trunk right now!" Gray shouted.

"Then hold on!" Natsu roared back.

"Deep Breath, Natsu. Crashing won't help your sister _if_ she's in trouble."

He complied and his grip on the steering wheel loosened as he calmed. He was thinking more clearly now.

"Which sector did they head to?" Natsu asked Erza.

"Sector 4 I believe. Hargeon."

"That's pretty far," Gray noted.

"No shit Sherlock!" Natsu snorted.

"Shut up! I just meant that it'll take longer."

"Suree."

"Boys!" Bet you can guess who said that.

An hour later, it was finally fully dark and they had reached Hargeon.

Natsu cruised through the streets of the seemingly peaceful town.

"It's way too quiet." Gray noted.

"Once again, the award for this year's Captain Obvious goes to Gray Fullbuster!" Natsu droned sarcastically.

"I think Natsu's right on this one." Erza said. "But, get your weapons ready."

Erza leaned out of the passenger seat and somehow managed to climb into the back.

"Stop the car Natsu!" Erza shouted and the brake was slammed. Erza grabbed her flashlight and pointed it at the shine that had caught her eyes.

"Is that the car they took?"

Natsu stuck his head out the window and cursed. There was the black Jeep Wrangler his sister had taken out. It was empty.

He parked the car and took his knife since his gun was lost.

"I'll check the house." He said.

"No need." Erza called. "It appears they killed the zombie in here." She directed Natsu to the dead corpse.

Natsu pulled yanked out the knife that seemed to be stuck in the Zombie's head.

"Oi! Gray? Do Jet and Droy ever use knives?" He asked.

"I think they only use guns. At least that's what Levy said."

"Erza? Didn't you teach Wendy to throw knives?"

"Yeah. Why?" Erza winced. She had gone behind his back to do that.

Turning on his headlight, Natsu measured the angle in which the knife was thrown. As he mapped out the scene in his head, he walked over to where the knife was probably thrown.

He sorta crouched, which made Gray think he looked constipated.

As he suspected, the passenger's door was open.

"They left Wendy in the car. Probably just showing her the ropes before letting her join in on the fun. I bet they thought I would kill them."

Gray and Erza watched Natsu curiously.

"So that means something happened inside. Whatever it was, this zombie got outside and tried to attack Wendy. She probably got scared, but decided to run because she can't drive. But why run if the zombie was dead? And Wouldn't Droy and Jet be able to help book it out of there?"

Natsu swore as he realized what had happened to Jet and Droy.

"Damnit. Jet and Droy were bit. They probably chased Wendy somewhere. So she threw the one knife she had as a diversion and ran. But… If they were bit that recently, then they probably still had some blood flowing, so…"

Natsu suddenly took off, and Erza and Gray bolted to keep up with him.

"Look at him go. He was born to do this." Gray mumbled. "But does he have to be so damn fast?"

"Stop complaining and run faster." Erza hissed. They couldn't afford to lose track of Natsu.

Suddenly Natsu stopped short. When Erza and Gray caught up, they saw what he was seeing.

A burned down house with a the unquestionable stench of burning zombies. It wouldn't be so concerning unless they had seen this before.

"Solo was here." Natsu snarled. He hated him, whoever it was. They had run into each other on a couple raids, but his identity had yet to be revealed. The only time he had spoke, he had had a deep voice that was unmistakingly male. And he had told Natsu to "Fuck off" which didn't sit too well with Natsu.

The worst possibilities flooded Natsu's mind, but Erza could sense this.

"It could have been Wendy who did this. She's smart and resourceful. Odds are, she probably escaped and found shelter somewhere else so she could wait the fire out. She's probably heading back as we speak."

Erza stopped speaking when she saw the zombie in front of them, unburnt.

"Jet." Gray whispered. Levy would be crushed by the news. He assumed that Droy was now a pile of ashes

"I'm gonna wait here until Wendy shows." Natsu said.

"I guess we have no choice then." Gray replied.

"We'll stay with you." Erza finished.

"Thank you guys." Natsu said quietly.

"That's what friends are for."

An inhumane roar interrupted their bonding moment and the three of the swore.

"I thought this town was cleared!" Gray shouted.

"Does it _look_ clear?" Natsu asked.

"Well no… but…"

"Enough bickering and start killing!" Erza yelled. There were about 20 zombies charging at them.

"6 per person. If ya snooze, then you won't get a seventh and then you owe me some hot sauce on your next raid."

"Fine. One favor if ya don't get a seventh."

"Deal."

The two stood back to back, ready to fight. But they were smiling.

**(1023)... sorry, it's a little short.**

* * *

**AN:**

**Thank again for reading this! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, which gives an insight to Natsu and Fairy Tail base as a whole while I work on what happens next. #WritersBlock**

**Review Answers:**

**Ushindeshi:**** Thank you! But, Lucy is totally a great teacher. I think she would be very useful to the base.**

**empowerLucy: Me too! I really hate it when people bash on Lucy for being weak but come on! I mean, Lucy is definitely one of the most powerful wizards there, especially in the final season. Who says she can't be badass? As for her back story, it will be briefly discussed in a few chapters but the flashback won't come until chapter 11 and then there will be more as the subplot comes to surface.**

**SharmintiSharminti: Well obviously. I was too lazy to think of a reason why they have so much gasoline and bullets, but let's go with that. Thanks!**

**HappyOrangutan:** **Well, I have the next 16 chapters already planned and I can assure you that I have planned really good cliff-hangers in most. Good luck! *evil and satanic giggling* No I'm not evil. I just like leaving people on the edge of their seats!**

**Again, thanks so much and please rate and review! Especially if you catch any grammar/spelling errors! **


	5. Just Can't Seem to Catch my Breath

**Chapter 5: Just Can't Seem to Catch my Breath**

"_Do you want to join Fairy Tail?" Wendy asked._

* * *

"Eh?" Lucy asked, thrown off guard by the question.

"Do you want to join Fairy Tail?" Wendy asked again.

"Uhhh… I don't know. I'm kind of used to the whole solo act at the moment."

"I know, but just hear me out. Fairy Tail is cool like that. You can totally go solo, but here's the question: How much longer can you survive? I've seen the way you act. You spend days without sleeping. The longer you go, the sloppier you get. Fairy Tail is about having each other's back. You get a partner and you survive." Wendy said.

Lucy stared at the girl.

"..."

"Besides. You're like a sister to me. I know that's kinda silly, but… You've taught me so much and genuinely cared about me. Please."

"I'll think about it." Lucy decided. "But let's get that car first."

"So this is the town, huh?" Lucy remarked. It was very quiet.

"I think it's called Hargeon. Before the apocalypse they had the best lobster."

"That's too bad. Wish I coulda tried some." Lucy said.

"Me too. Quick question: Why do you wear that hood?"

Lucy had pulled a long, black cloak out of her bag and put it on. The hood was drawn over her head so you couldn't even tell that she was female.

"I don't know who we're gonna meet. I might have pissed off a few people at your base without knowing it. Sorry."

"How?"

Lucy shrugged. "Sometimes I raid houses. Sometimes, I steal the supplies right from under their noses. Speaking of which, you need to wear a cloak too."

"Why?"

"If there are hostiles here, I don't want them recognizing us in the future."

Wendy accepted that answer and put on the cloak Lucy had handed her. They continued to walk in silence until Lucy spoke again.

"Which street were we on again when we met?" Lucy asked.

"I think the house you burned down was on Celestial Road, Why?"

"Then we should turn left." Lucy replied.

Five minutes later, they had reached the road and Lucy could see that wretched house in the distance.

Once they reached it, Lucy traced them back to where Wendy had abandoned the car.

"Something's not right." Lucy muttered. Why were there no zombies anywhere?

She stopped short, yanking Wendy behind her.

"Someone's here." Lucy hissed. She quickly slipped Wendy a second knife and a pistol. "If they're hostile, aim and shoot."

"I know you're hiding! Come out and fight me like a man" Lucy called out, deepening her voice so it sounded very masculine. She wouldn't step forward because she could see the outline of a trap. Wendy was confused as to why she had changed her voice, but shrugged it off. The lady had to survive somehow, right? She shuddered, thinking of all the non-zombie related dangers of being a single female.

No answer could be heard.

Suddenly, Lucy tackled Wendy to the ground as an arrow shot past them.

She pulled Wendy behind another house for cover. That was her big mistake. She hadn't realized that there were more than 2 people (she deduced 2 from the complexity of the trap) and ran face first into the barrel of a gun.

"Shit." She shouted.

"I don't know who you guys are but let us go. You'll regret otherwise." Her voice was still low. She maneuvered her body to completely cover Wendy, protecting her from any stray bullets.

"Weapons now. Or I shoot." The mystery guy said. He was wearing a headlight that almost blinded her, but Lucy heard some noise and decided to play along.

She began to reach into her cloak to retrieve her weapons as the guys tensed.

"I'm just getting my guns. I don't fancy dying today."

The guy just chuckled. "Good luck with that."

As she reached behind her cloak, she signaled to Wendy that there were two heading up behind her. She hoped Wendy had understood and tossed her only gun left onto the floor in front of her.

Wendy turned around slowly to see two figure walking up to them. She quickly hid her gun and one knife, but gripped the other tightly. She would fight if she had to.

"Who are you?" A rather familiar voice said. Wendy gasped, but didn't say anything. She wasn't sure.

Lucy recognized the voice. It was _him_. The guy who had almost caught her stealing and forced her to actually speak. Maybe this would play into her hands.

"I think you know who I am." She said in her low voice and she smirked.

She suddenly lashed out, disarming the guy with the headlamp and knocked him out cold.

Wendy reacted too, taking out gun and turning off the safety. She decided that she was mistaken. Natsu wouldn't trap someone like this. Besides, how could he have figured she'd come back?

When Lucy retrieved her gun and her captor's, she heaved the guy on her shoulder and held the gun to his head.

"Weapons. Or I shoot." She said, repeating the exact words he had said to her. Oh how she loved taking revenge.

Slowly, they put down their immediate weapons and kicked them over to the girls.

Lucy chuckled. Did they think she was a fool?

"All of them."

The two shared a look, before fully disarming themselves.

"Now if you cooperate with us, we'll let you and your little friend go."

"What do you want?" The man snarled.

"Just answer some questions. Why are you here?"

"A friend of ours disappeared around here. We assumed they would come back."

"Alright. So why make me disarm myself?"

"We saw the burnt house. It's practically your signature. We thought you took her."

"Her?"

"My sister."

Wendy couldn't deny it any longer. It was definitely him. It was no coincidence that he knew it was her.

"It's ok Lucy. I know them. You can put the gun down."

Lucy looked at Wendy in shock as she pulled her hood down, which is just what Natsu needed before charging.

"Natsu no!" Wendy cried, but it was too late. Natsu had tackled Lucy and the two were then currently fighting it out.

Erza quickly pulled Wendy and Gray away from the danger.

"You don't understand! She saved me! Please! Stop!" Wendy cried to no avail. No one noticed her slip up.

Erza kept a firm grip on her arm as they watched the fight.

It was a blur of hits and punches, grunts and heaving. The two were evenly matched. It seemed like a draw would be the outcome until Lucy cried out in pain and stumbled back. Wendy's eyes widened as she saw blood seeping through Lucy fingers. She turned to Natsu who had a knife in hand. He sneered.

"Not so tough now, huh? Why don't you just show everyone who you are and then we can fight 'like men' as you said earlier."

Wendy was in shock that her brother had played dirty. He had always preached to others about making sure they didn't harm other humans who showed no threat. What was going on?

Now you are probably asking how could such a wonderful person cheat. The answer is simple. He was sure that this man had kidnapped his little sister. His instinct was to slay all those who harmed his family. He didn't care about morality or manners. When it came to his family, he'd do anything.

At that moment, Gray stirred, distracting Erza, which was the moment Wendy had been waiting for. Lucy had told her that the weakest knuckle was the thumb. Her instructions were to exploit the thumb and that's what Wendy did.

No less than 2 seconds later, she jumped in front of Lucy.

"Wendy! Get out of there!" Erza yelled. Natsu had already started charging towards Lucy when Wendy jumped in front. He couldn't stop.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" He roared.

Lucy was the first to actually react. Grimacing in pain, she shoved Wendy out of the way as Natsu struck home.

Luckily enough for Lucy, she had tripped sending both her and Wendy down. But, Natsu had caught her hood with her knife, and revealed her identity as he tripped on her legs.

Everyone froze for a second.

Lucy was cursing herself for being careless and Wendy was just happy no one was hurt.

On the other hand…

"You're…"

"A g-g-.."

"Girl?!"

Gray seemed to be in the most shock, having missed out on most of the action.

To their surprise, the girl blushed and snorted. "No I'm an alien. What? You didn't think a girl could actually fight?"

Natsu couldn't stand it anymore. This was too confusing for him and he hated the fact that she was on top of Wendy.

Faster than lightning, he grabbed a discarded gun and knocked Lucy out.

"LUCY!" Wendy cried. "Why'd you do that?"

"Natsu. That was uncalled for."

"SHUT UP!" He yelled. He couldn't do it. "Let me think."

After about 10 seconds of pondering, he decided on what to do.

"We'll bring her to base and question her there while we take Wendy to the infirmary."

"But Nats-"

"No buts Wendy. I could always just leave her here to get bitten."

"But you won't because that is against our rules. In fact, you have broken many already. Let's get moving before we get kicked out." Erza said.

Natsu seemed to sober up and he silently drove his truck with Wendy while Gray and Erza drove Lucy. He didn't complain about his own injuries and Wendy was too angry and betrayed to care about them at the moment.

Natsu hated the fact that Wendy was ignoring him. He had taken the weapons and tossed them in the back, but Wendy had just stared at him when he said, "Give me those before you hurt yourself." Wendy didn't tell him about the knife she had strapped to her leg. It was hers and hers alone.

(1661) A little longer...

* * *

**AN:**

**I cannot say how much i LOVE all of y'all! I never expected this story to get more than 3 followers, so thanks to all 12 of ya! And here, you see the first NaLu interaction... Not what y'all expected huh? Anyway, I think I need to mention a couple of things I kinda forgot (blame school). **

**1- I just wanted to make sure you all knew that the main ship in here is NaLu, so if you are weirdly prejudiced against all NaLu goodness, then I won't judge you for leaving and not reading :) **

**2- For the first 13 or so chapters, the titles are from a really cool song that kinda inspired this whole story. It's called: Will I Make It Out Alive by Tommee Proffitt/Profitt/Proffit? Check out the really cool Fairy Tail AMV by Anime Safe Haven!**

**3- There WILL be: Jerza, Gruvia, Miraxus, GaLe, NaLu, RoWen, and a teensy bit of Lories w**

**Below are some answers to reviews:**

**Ushindeshi: Glad you liked it! I really like the friendship I see between the three of them in the anime, manga, and certain fanfics... Don't fret because there will definitely be more coming in later chapters.**

**sharmintisharminti: I really wanted to build on the connect that appeared between Natsu and Wendy in the GMG Arc, which was especially clear when they were fighting the Hungry Wolf Nights ;)**

**Kalessia04: ****So first I went to google translate (bc I'm learning Latin in school :/), so here's the English Translation:**

"ok, as it happens to lose Natsu such an important weapon; v, the good thing is that Lucy has it and that calms my heart u-u I'll be attentive to more updates, and I like that Lucy is not the typical weak. Pd: I'm Spanish speaking and that's why I'm writing in Spanish, I did not want to leave without my comment here why I later forgot"

**THANK YOU SO MUCH KALESSIA04! Honestly, the weapon is the equivalent of Natsu's scarf... Hope you liked it. I also planned on doing something _special_ with Lucy and Aquarius. *Evil Laughter***

**As always, I love seeing the emails when I recieve a review, fave, and Follower, so keep it up ****guys! **


	6. Am I gonna swim, am I gonna sink?

**Chapter 6: ****Am I gonna swim, am I gonna sink?**

Lucy groggily opened her eyes. She saw a lot of white and had the feeling she was in a hospital.

"Close enough dear." A white-haired lady said. "Welcome to Fairy Tail's infirmary."

Lucy sat up suddenly and groaned in pain. "The hell?"

"It seems Natsu cracked one of you ribs. But don't worry, you dealt him much worse."

Lucy tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. "Fight...hurt… wendy… WENDY!" She said, trying to get out of bed. "Is she ok? Where is she?"

The woman looked surprised. "Wendy's fine dear."

"Good. That's good." Lucy said, trying to think as she lowered herself back into her bed, the pain overwhelming her body.

"Why am I here?" She asked.

"You're in Fairy Tail because Master wants to question you. You're in the infirmary because Erza and Wendy insisted."

Before Lucy could respond, someone knocked on the door. A rather short man walked in.

"Speaking of him, this is the master."

"Hello, Grandeeney! Ah! You must be Lucy! I hear you have quite the story to tell."

Lucy's heart soared. He seemed nice.

"Laxus, throw her in the cell."

That flying heart plummeted.

"Cell?"

"Why of course! You didn't think we were gonna question you here now, did you? Don't worry. Laxus will be gentle."

The big blonde picked her up, cradling her.

She couldn't move. Why? Why were they doing this to her? All she had done was save Wendy.

"Relax girlie. This is just a formality. Wendy already told us everything. It's really only for Natsu." Laxus said.

Lucy was still on alert.

"My bag?"

"Safe. But I did have a cookie." The Master called back.

"So did I," Laxus admitted. "They were good, but next time bring some Somoas."

"Oh sure. Next time I plan on getting kidnapped by some lunatics like you who like to steal cookies, I'll make sure to pack Samoas."

Lucy was silent for the remainder of the walk to the "cells" which turned out just to be a classroom.

"Was this a school?" Lucy asked.

"Fairy Tail Academy. I used to be principal and most of these people were my students. I was hosting detention on the first day of the outbreak."

So _that_ was why they called it Fairy Tail. And why the name was familiar. She was considering transferring to this school for Junior year of high school.

She was sat down and cuffed for show. She sat on one side of a conference table while Natsu, Makarov, Wendy, Gray, and Erza sat on the other side. Laxus stood by the door.

Natsu glared at Lucy and she glared right back. Observing the damage she did, she realized she had broken his nose and scratched him up pretty badly. His arm was also in a sling, so she assumed it was dislocated, but not by her doing. She saw the redhead glaring at him and deduced that it was her who did it.

"Good evening Miss Lucy." Makarov said. "So I hear." Lucy replied. "Though I beg to differ."

"We're just going to ask you a few questions." He explained. "Please answer them to the best of your ability."

Lucy nodded.

"How did you and Wendy meet?"

"I had just found a house with a working generator, so I zombie-proofed the house. I got the bath to work, so I bathed for a couple of hours. While the bath drained I put on a fire, had some dinner and accidentally took a nap. I woke to someone banging on the door.

"I was pretty sure it was a zombie, so I grabbed a knife. But, you see, I heard some shouting and it sounded oddly like a young girl, so I opened the door and saw Wendy. On pure instinct, I yanked her inside the house and threw my knife, nailing one of the two zombies behind her.

"I closed the door and ran to the kitchen where I got my gun. I think the door was already broken down at that point. Anyway, when the zombie got closer, I aimed and pulled the trigger. That little bastard went down like a brick. Don't worry Natsu. I made sure Wendy didn't get any blood on her.

"Of course, some of the local neighborhood zombies heard the shot, so I told Wendy to pack up while I got ready to blow the place. Once we were outside, we waited until the majority of zombies were inside and I blew the place up. The boom wasn't to big though.

"We had to hurry up out of there because zombies are attracted to the smell of burning zombies and that's when we really started talking. I decided to help her get back to her base. If only I'd known that this is how I'd be treated."

Makarov nodded. "Why did you help Wendy?"

Lucy shrugged. "Dunno. I guess I felt for her in that second. I mean, the zombies have already taken away so much. I wasn't gonna let them take an innocent girl's life. Or the last of my morality for that matter."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at here, but Erza whacked his head.

"Where were you at the beginning of all this?"

"All what?"

"The apocalypse."

Lucy hated that question. It brought back memories of the worst days of her life. Not that now was much better. As much as she tried to forget those horrid moments, her brain forced her to recall them, each one as clear as day. Of course, she didn't want to answer the question but she had no choice. She'd make it short and sweet.

"Home. I was watching TV with my cousin and parents when I saw the news."

"Are they…?"

Lucy understood what he was trying to ask.

"Nope. They died that day."

Makarov knew that he shouldn't prod anymore, but he had one final question.

"I've determined you not guilty of kidnapping Wendy."

"What about threatening Gray!" Natsu reminded the Master. Make that two questions.

"Ah yes. Please explain that."

"Master, it was no-" Erza tried to explain.

"Silence. Is your name Lucy? No. So let Lucy explain."

"Well, it was another spur of the moment decision. I mean, I'm trying to get Wendy here when I notice a very complicated trap laid out in the middle of the street. Suddenly an arrow shoots at us and I'm barely able to protect Wendy. So, as per usual, I try to take cover, but low and behold I nearly run straight into, Gray was it? He's wearing a headlight, so I can barely see, but I can make out the gun.

"Please keep in mind that I have no idea who any of these people are and I thought they were trying to kidnap us. Now I know they just wanted me. Anyway, I hear Erza and Natsu coming from behind, so I pretend to get one of my guns as an excuse to signal to Wendy about those two when he threatens to shoot.

"Now that Wendy is aware of the threat, I wait for them to come up to us until I simply disarmed Gray and knocked him out. I used him as a bargaining chip. Nothing less nothing more."

Master sent a hard look at the three who seemed to shrink under his gaze. They hadn't told him about threatening her which he would deal with later.

"Well then, you are definitely innocent and I beg you to accept my apology on behalf of these three. I understand you also eliminated the zombie version of Jet and Droy. I thank you. It would break my heart to know that they were out there, suffering."

"So can I go now?"

The master looked very sad as he told her the answer.

"I am afraid you may not leave."

"WHAT!?" Lucy shouted.

"You have seen our base, something very few outsiders ever get to do. Most who come in uninvited are put to death. But, due to the fact that you risked your life to save one of our own, I personally invite you to join Fairy Tail."

Everyone, including Laxus, was shocked.

"Join...Fairy Tail?" Lucy questioned.

Wendy practically jumped out her seat.

"Now I understand that this is a big adjustment from your usual antics, but from what Wendy told me, you are an excellent hunter and would really benefit from this."

Wendy was pleading to Lucy with her eyes, which Lucy looked right at and fell for it. Damn those Puppy eyes.

"Fine. But I want all my weapons. And my current food. The rest that I find may go into whatever system you use."

"Done." Master said and promptly dismissed everyone from the room as he mourned the loss of the cookies Lucy brought with her.

"Wendy, please show Lucy to her bag and then to room 777. You and Lucy will now be bunking there, but Erza will stay there for the next couple of nights to help you settle in."

When they left, Laxus turned to his grandfather and raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"What?" Makarov asked innocently. "She's just what Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail need. Besides, her mother would be proud."

Laxus had to agree on that.

"Still though... ," Laxus said and tried to mimic his grandfather. "_Most who come in uninvited are put to death._"

Makarov just chuckled and went back to work.

Meanwhile...

Lucy, Erza, and Wendy had finally settled into their own room and Lucy was showing Erza and Wendy her full weapon collection. She owned 5 knives, 3 guns, and a whip along with a set of brass knuckles, but those were more for show rather than fighting.

Erza seemed amazed by the collection and apologized for her behavior once more to which Lucy just chuckled.

"I know how you must have felt, thinking Wendy was kidnapped. I don't blame any of you for what you did. I would have done the same if it were me."

Erza smiled.

"Although I must say…"

Erza tensed as all the possible outcomes of that sentence flowed through her head.

"You did a good job teaching Wendy how to throw a knife. That's what really saved her life."

Erza's eyes widened as she flushed.

"I-uh-eh?"

"I'm serious. Without it, she would've been a zombie by now and it made teaching her the rest super easy." Lucy said.

"You taught her how to fight?" Erza asked incredulously. Oh boy... To think Natsu was angry before...

"Yeah. It's foolish to live in a world like this and not know how. I think the past few days should serve as proof."

Erza just hoped Natsu wouldn't kill her. No. He wouldn't. Erza realized that Lucy and Wendy would kill him first.

Suddenly a loud knock interrupted both of their thoughts and two men barged in.

"What are you doing here?" Erza asked, a little angry.

"I'm just following Flame Brain so he doesn't so something stupid." Gray said.

"Too late." Erza narrowed her eyes.

"I'm here for Lucy. We need to talk. In private." The pinkette said angrily.

Lucy nodded at Erza who was a little worried, but she finally gave in and decided to visit Wendy and her mother. Gray followed Erza.

"Well… What do you want? I'm all ears." Lucy said cooly.

"I…"

(1883)

* * *

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed yet another chapter. As always, every single review makes me smile and motivates me to not only write well but to do well in school.**

**My Awesome Replies to my Awesome Readers:**

**Angelfusion15: **Honestly, I feel that this was a major benchmark for Wendy because as Dumbledore says: "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." I think it shows how much her time with Lucy changed her from being that little sister who couldn't take care of herself to a strong woman who is ready to take on the world, no matter how many people (both intentionally and unintentionally) want to keep her at a low level.

**Ushindeshi: **Only a little, but things definitely clear up in chapter 7. I think its important to show the transition between hatred and love and how thin that line is, especially with misunderstandings.

**Kalessia04:** First things first: lol don't regret it. it was fun for me and I ended up emailing my mom in spanish (google translator of course) to which she replied very confused, but it was awesome. I'm glad you like the course of my story. Also, the plot really picks up at around chapter 17, so please give all opinions.


	7. Am I gonna bend, am I gonna break?

**Chapter 7: ****Am I gonna bend, am I gonna break?**

"I… want to apologize," Natsu mumbled.

Lucy looked shocked. She'd been expecting an earful of him going on about how much he hated her, not an apology. Maybe… this guy wasn't as bad as she thought.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I said I'm sorry!" He hissed. "That's all. Look I don't wanna be friends, but I don't wanna hate each other either cuz that's not what Fairy Tail is about. I should never have played dirty in our fight and I apologize."

Lucy smiled.

"No worries. I totally understand." Now, Lucy had thought that was the right thing to say and she was right.

"Did you have a sibling?" Natsu asked.

"Sort of...She was really my cousin, but we acted like sisters."

"Is she still alive?"

Lucy winced and suddenly regretted telling him that. No... not now... the barricades were falling down, both in her mind and in her eyes. Tears threatened to attack and she to do something quickly. She promised not to cry.

Natsu sensed hit struck a nerve.

"Look… I'm sorry.. I-I"

"Get out."

"I didn't know."

"Out."

Natsu left Lucy, who was now struggling to hold back the memories. Damn, it why couldn't she be normal?

Wendy and Erza walked in.

"Looks like that didn't go too well," Wendy said. Lucy calmed herself down.

"And you said we would get along."

"Ehh… you'll warm up to him. Anyway, you know, if you're up to it, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?"

"Her name is Levy."

"Ok." _She sounded nice..._

Five minutes later, a short blue haired girl walked in.

"Are you Lucy?" She asked.

Lucy nodded.

"Good. My name is Levy McGarden and Jet and Droy were my best friends. You killed them, right?"

Lucy suddenly regretted saying yes as she did not fancy going through another emotional rollercoaster. She slowly nodded, bracing herself for an onslaught of shouting. Instead, she got a tight hug.

"Thank you. Thank you for putting them out of their misery." The girl sobbed into her chest.

Suddenly Lucy felt very tired.

"Well, it was the most humane thing to do."

Levy stepped back and sniffled.

"I hope we can be friends from now on. No… Best Friends."

Lucy smiled and nodded as Levy gave her a room number.

"Visit me if you need anything!" She called as she walked out.

Lucy sat on the bed and announced that she was going to take a nap.

"We'll wake you up in time for dinner," Erza said as she readied a card game to play with Wendy.

Lucy mumbled a thank you before drifting off to sleep.

She was woken up all too soon by Erza and trudged to the dining hall. It was huge.

"Whoa!" She breathed.

Erza chuckled and Wendy pulled both of them to meet Mira.

"What a great surprise! Lucy, right? Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Lucy sputtered. "I KNOW YOU!" She shouted.

"Oh my gosh! You're Mirajane Strauss, Sorcerer's Weekly top model! I used to buy an issue each week! It was my dream to meet you in person!"

Mirajane chuckled. "I'm glad somebody recognizes me. To everyone else, I'm just a really good cook."

"Yup! Her food's to die for and don't get me started on her beer!" A very drunk woman said, stumbling up to them.

"I'm Cana!" She said proudly and proceeded to cop a feel on Lucy.

"I can't believe those are real." She said before sauntering away.

The other three chuckled awkwardly as Lucy's blush began to gradually deepen until she was bright red.

Lucy quickly grabbed her food, said a quick thanks to Mira, and rushed to an open table.

Erza and Wendy quickly followed to make sure no one bothered Lucy too much.

"Yeah! And Ice Princess got knocked out in like 3 seconds by a _girl._" Natsu shouted.

Erza didn't like the way he said girl and broke away to defend her gender. Lucy, on the other hand, regretted choosing this table and tried to scooch further away, but a cool voice stopped her.

"Look. I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I honestly had no idea you saved Wendy." Gray said.

Lucy forced a smile and brushed it off before trying to get back to eating.

"And please forgive Pinky over there. I don't know what he said or did, but really... He lacks a lot of brain so he can be stupid 95% of the time. Scratch that. Make it 98%. But that 2% is worth it in the end."

Lucy nodded and went back to eating her ration of soup as Gray sighed. Turning to Wendy, Lucy asked her how things at Fairy Tail were run.

"Well there's the obvious: everyone needs a job if you want to shower or eat. Except for children of course. There's a few different types of jobs: Runner, Guard, and Maintenance. Runners are the people who risk their lives to clear out sectors and bring back supplies. Guards are in charge of enforcing rules, keeping zombies away, and keeping everyone in check. And maintenance simply does things like laundry, water gathering, cooking and etc.

"Clothes, and weapons are usually distributed evenly throughout the base. Of course, you are the exception, but all weapons are supposed to be locked up unless we go off base to prevent fighting between us. The real problem is food. That's why we are working so hard to clear sector 3. It has a bunch of mini marts to feed us."

Lucy nodded.

"How far are you guys in clearing it?"

"Not that far. There was a big difference in population between sector 3 and sector 4, so there's wayyy more zombies." Wendy said.

Lucy nodded. "I'm going on a limb here in saying that Akane Resort is located in Sector 4."

Wendy nodded. "Many of the zombies there were tourists. At least, that's what I heard."

Erza returned and the three fell into easy conversation while they ate.

"Yup. I'd sleep for like 6 hours if it was secure enough and then I'd go a couple days without sleep until I find a new secure place." Lucy laughed.

"Wow. I don't think anyone here could do that." Wendy said.

"Rest assured, Lucy, that you will never have to live like that again." Erza decided.

Lucy smiled. Maybe she could finally find a home. She frowned, thinking about the last time she had felt that. She couldn't get her hopes up.

After dinner, Makarov had requested Lucy's presence, so Mirajane was kind enough to show her the way. Lucy knocked before entering.

"Good! You're here!" He said. "We are going to need to talk about your role here."

"Are you assigning me a job?"

"Spot on! So have you decided on something?"

"Runner. Definitely. It doesn't feel right sitting here when there are zombies that need to be exterminated."

"Very well then. As soon as your ribs are healed, then I'll assign you to a team so you can get the gist of everything."

"I would like that very much," Lucy replied.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" He asked.

Lucy cocked her head, but shook her head.

"Very well then, Miss Heartfilia. Until we meet again." He said smiling as he showed her out the door.

It wasn't until the door closed that Lucy realized what he had said.

"Interesting." Both mumbled at the same time.

* * *

Lucy spent the rest of her recovery hanging out with Wendy, Erza and Levy in their spare time reading, talking, training in secret, or playing cards. Lucy began to learn more about her friends and was shocked to hear that they all attended Fairy Tail Academy before the apocalypse.

"Yeah. I was that one nerd no one would talk to. Erza was the Student Council President. She's still very bossy. Oh! And Wendy! She had skipped a few grades and was a freshman during my junior year." Levy explained.

"And then there was Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel. The most popular seniors. They pretty much ruled the school. There was one time where a new student was shadowing. I forget her name, but she was pretty famous. Anyway, she accidentally walked into Natsu's prank for Gray and started screaming at him. It was hilarious because she was drenched like a rat and Natsu looked like he kicked a puppy. I think it was the first time he was sorry for getting another person... The school didn't stop talking about it for weeks!" Levy shrieked with laughter.

Lucy laughed. That did seem pretty funny. Perhaps Natsu wasn't so bad after all. Eying a certain pistol, Lucy excused herself from the conversation and grabbed the pistol. Maybe she could forgive him for Wendy's sake, who was ignoring her brother for the most part.

She realized her mistake when she got horribly lost. Cursing her incapability of planning ahead, Lucy tried to look for anything recognizable. There was nothing. Predictable Lucy.

"Are you lost, pretty lady?" A nasally voice asked.

"No. Just walking."

"Then why don't you come and join us?" Another asked.

_Sleazebags. How did so many good people die only for these pieces of shit to survive?_

"No thank you. I'm good."

"Awww. Don't be like that." The first one said.

"I said no."

"You don't know what you're missing."

"Are you deaf? The lady said no." A new voice said.

"Oh yeah? And whatcha gonna do about it?"

Lucy was surprised to see Natsu standing there.

"Whatever I have to do. No means no and it's about time you learned that."

"Ha! Ya, hear this guy? He thinks he can beat us on a 2 on 1 fight."

"Did you hear _yourselves_?" Lucy asked, offended. "To think you forgot about me already."

"Please. You're a girl. All you're good for is maintenance work."

"Wanna try that out you bastard?" She called, hiding her gun. Oh, that comment had really offended her if you couldn't tell...

"You asked for it."

Lucy didn't hesitate to dodge her offender's punch and slamming his head against the wall, effectively knocking him out.

She turned to fight the other guy to find him already knocked out.

"Hey! I could have handled that myself." She said.

"Oh trust me. I know. My nose can attest to that," Natsu replied. Lucy cringed, remembering that she'd broken his nose.

"I just couldn't stand to see these scumbags harass any more women. What was it that you said earlier? 'Can't let the apocalypse take anything else away?'"

"Ehhh. Close enough. Well... I guess it's good that I ran into you. I need to talk to you about something." Lucy said.

"Well, I'm all ears."

"Unfortunately, so are these punks. Let's go somewhere more private."

Natsu agreed and they walked to what appeared to be a library.

"So you're a bookworm, huh?" Natsu said.

Lucy looked a little alarmed.

"The look on your face when you entered. I've seen it before on Wendy and Levy."

Lucy nodded. It made sense. Gray was right. That 2% did count for something, but what is was really confused Lucy.

"Well, now we have some privacy. What did you want to talk about?" Natsu asked.

"Well, first, I wanted to apologize for lashing out at you earlier today. I was out of line. I am sorry."

"No worries. It was partly my fault. I shouldn't have prodded at your past. It's your business, not mine."

"Second," Lucy started, reaching into her back pocket. "I picked this up a while ago when 'scavenging' for food. Wendy said it had belonged to you, so I just wanted to give it back."

Natsu stared at the pistol in her hands. Was that- There was no way...

"I-I-I thought I had lost it for good. Thank you so much." He said quietly, carefully taking the pistol in his hands and rubbing his thumb over the dragon emblem. Lucy expected their encounter to be over, so she started slowly walking away, a small smile on her lips.

"This was the last thing my father gave to me before he disappeared during the first few weeks of the apocalypse. I had lent it to Gray once during a hunt, but he dropped it while stripping. I can't say how much this means to me." Natsu said tears forming in his eyes.

He suddenly hugged Lucy tightly. At first, Lucy was surprised, but then she relaxed and returned the hug. Yet, something was bugging her.

"Stripping?" She questioned.

"Yeah. Ice Princess strips every second he can. Claims it's a habit, but I think he just enjoys the attention."

Lucy raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"It's true! You'll see soon." He said, taking his arms off of her and she laughed.

"I'm sure I will." Lucy wasn't sure if she should believe Natsu.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" He sang as he ran to check his weapon in before Max left for the day.

Lucy watched him as he left and was about to head to her room, but a certain book caught her eye. She took it off the shelf and started flipping through it.

"I didn't peg you to be a manga reader." A squeaky voice peeped. Lucy turned around in surprise. It was Levy.

"Well, I had started the series, but never got to finish it. It was pretty good." Lucy explained.

"Obviously! You're holding a copy of Rave Master! It was THE BEST manga, especially according to the old high school. Haru and Ellie were all relationship goals and Plue was -more or less- the mascot of our high school." Levy fangirled.

"Then I guess I'll have to hurry up and finish this during my free time!" Lucy said excitedly, happy to finally have someone to talk to about books. Her father hadn't really cared and her mother never understood her fascination with books.

"Ya know… You're different than I thought." Levy said suddenly. Lucy's eyebrows rose.

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" She said cautiously.

"A good thing. Definitely. I just mean…. Never mind. Let's go head to your room. I think Erza wants to play Monopoly or something." Levy said.

"Alright then! Let's go!"

(2469) oh yeah! is that my highest score yet?

* * *

**To keep it short and sweet: THANKS! Imma skip the comment answering and push it off to the next chapter because its really late and I just rewrote the entire chapter... So please rate and review and stuff while I take a nice and long nap.**

**G'night!**


	8. Will I Make It Out Alive?

**Chapter 7.5: Monopoly**

"We're here," Levy shouted as they entered the room. To Lucy's surprise, Erza and Wendy had already set up the board.

"Choose a spot girls. We're just waiting on the others." Erza sang happily. She loved winning and beating her opponents in the the ground as they begged for mercy. Poor Lucy.

"Others?" Lucy questioned.

Right on que, the door burst open, showing Natsu and Gray.

"Now I'm all fired up!" He roared while Gray just chuckled.

Natsu plopped down right next to Lucy and slammed a metal dragon piece (**Pretend it's like a monopoly playing piece) **on the Go! space, grabbing the stack of fake money Erza had already set up. Lucy looked down and chose the little dog. It was rather misshapen after Natsu had accidentally burnt it once, but Levy forced Gray and another runner named Gajeel to fix it up the best they could. Gajeel was their resident blacksmith.

"I'll name him Plue!" She declared, causing Natsu to stare at her for a few seconds. He quickly looked away, but Levy and Wendy had noticed. Both knew that he was complete trash for Rave Master and with one look at each other, they had made a _very_ important decision.

Erza decided to state the rules of the game since Lucy was new.

"One: The Free Parking space will be given the privilege of awarding money to those who and there. This money is comprised of all the money that comes from taxes and payments demanded by these cards and different spaces. It will be kept in the middle of the board.

"Two: Negotiations may only take place on the turn of the person who is initiating them.

"Three: A person is out when they are bankrupt and have no means to pay rent, mortgage, etc. Once a player is out, their properties go back on the market for double their previous price and the bank will pay the unpaid player.

"Four: Three doubles in a row results in jail. As does any form of cheating I catch during the game. I'm looking at you Natsu.

"Five: Once all the properties in one set are owned, the rent is doubled until it is upgraded. Well then! Let's begin."

Everyone grinned like maniacs as they began the game. That was the power of Fairy Tail, Lucy thought. _Here, even with all the shit and chaos in the world, they can still smile and have fun._

At the beginning, everyone raced to buy properties, but what most did not know was that Lucy was a master of monopoly. Even though she hadn't known any of these people, save Wendy, for very long, she could read what they would do.

Natsu, Gray, and Erza would rush to the expensive properties while Wendy and Levy were most likely going to go for the cheaper ones.

So, Lucy settled with the best place in monopoly: The middle.

While they weren't that cheap, they didn't blow her bank like the really expensive ones and they did have the boost that the others didn't have. The best part was that Natsu, Gray and Erza needed to pass through her properties to get to theirs and Wendy and Levy needed to go that way to collect their go! money.

How did Lucy become so good at monopoly? Easy. Her father was one of the world's largest businessmen and he had taught Lucy everything she needed to know. His lessons had ranged from how to read people to how to completely take over an empire.

30 minutes into the game, Levy and Gray had gone bankrupt and Lucy had managed to snag Levy's properties, sensing that it was not the right time to venture into the expensive properties.

"How could you Lu-chan?!" Levy cried as Lucy smiled maliciously.

"Damn it Erza!" Gray grumbled. Erza smiled as she politely told him to put his clothes back on, much to Lucy's shock. Natsu snickered and sent her a knowing look.

Natsu and Erza currently split one side of the board, Natsu having both blue spots and Erza owning the green.

Wendy owned the brown and light blue spots that followed the Starting square.

Lucy owned the rest, but she had only actually bought half of it. The rest came from a reluctant Gray, Erza and Natsu who had over overspent and couldn't pay rent.

She didn't need to upgrade because she owned so much. Natsu kept on landing on her red spaces after trying to hit the Free Parking due to the fact that Lucy and Wendy were lucky enough to always skip his properties. Erza, however, was very unlucky. Yet, his meager income was not enough to support his outrageous spending totals.

Lucy had thought Wendy would leave first, but it was surprisingly Erza. Having no luck in dodging any properties, she forfeited the game, leaving her properties up for grabs.

Each remaining player was able to snatch one of those properties as Erza left ot visit her friend Jellal whom Lucy had never heard of until Erza announced it. Honestly she suspected they were in a relationship based upon the snickers coming from the rest of the group.

Wendy had the least money and Natsu wasn't much better off. Lucy had a stack of 500$ bills and a rather large stack of 100$ bills with some change on the side. She made sure she always had at least 85$ in change.

Unfortunately, Natsu happened to pick up that damned card that forced a player to pay the owner of one the utilities twice of what was previously owed. He had rolled a 12, forcing him to pay 240 instead of 120. He now only had a few 5s and 10s.

Wendy had scored the Free Parking money that had collected over the duration of the game, bringing her closer to Lucy's wealth. Natsu grumbled a little about how his sister was cheating, but was shut up by the glare Wendy and Lucy gave him.

On his next turn, he landed on a tax, causing him to go bankrupt. He was out.

Wendy and Lucy battled to buy the remaining properties. Or so Wendy thought. Lucy had formed a plan in a few minutes and it depended on Wendy buying the last 3 properties (blues and one green).

Wendy was shocked to see her money had disappeared while buying the remaining properties. When Erza had said double the previous price, she meant it. Since the Green space had been sold twice, it became the most expensive, selling at a whopping $1320 (320 x2= 660 which was Natsu's price. 660 x 2 = 1320.) The blues were $800 and $700.

Her so-called luck had ran out as she landed on a seemingly small property. The brown ones were the cheapest right? She'd only have to spend like $50 and be able to save her remaining 250, right? WRONG! Lucy had spent the time applying upgrades to all her properties. Each had been decorated with the brownstone, which was what one got after paying for 4 houses. It was a risky move, yes, but it was worth it.

"But Lucy!" Wendy cried as she was forced to hand over her 300 dollars to this monster. She still owed Lucy 300 dollars more, but Wendy knew that it was time to give up. Much hooting and hollering could be heard inside that classroom-turned-bedroom.

Erza had returned with Jellal to watch the final two players go at each other. Erza sulked a little before finally congratulating Lucy on her win.

"This was definitely a game to remember," Erza stated. "Never has anyone won with just 1 dollar."

That's right. All the upgrading had drained Lucy of her money until she was left with one dollar. Enough to keep her in the game, but most definitely still a risky move.

Natsu gave her a big smile before leaving with Gray to get ready for the next day. They had to leave early in the morning for a raid.

Jellal decided to escort the two to make sure they didn't attack anyone after hearing what Natsu and Lucy had done to the two perverts.

Levy was invited to stay the night and the girls stayed up late talking to each other. Lucy hadn't thought she would ever get to do this. While she was grateful to her dad for all he had taught her (which really helped in scenarios like Monopoly), she still resented the fact that she had been very lonely for the majority of her life. The only other person she had ever truly confessed her feelings to was Michelle. That had been a long time ago though.

Lucy had tuned out of the conversation when she submerged into her own thoughts.

"I think NaLu would be a better ship name than LuNa!" Wendy exclaimed. "Right Lucy?"

"Yeah yeah." She mumbled, still lost in thought.

"Wait… Na...Lu? Who are we shipping?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Silly!" Levy giggled.

"You and Natsu of course!" Erza triumphed.

Lucy gradually turned a darker shade of red.

"WHAT?!" She screamed. "No way! Never! My god I have standards you know!"

The girls just giggled at Lucy's reaction.

Levy fake whispered to Erza, "That's the sort of reaction someone has when they do like a person!"

Wendy joined in on the fun. "Awww! Look at the way Lucy is blushing!"

Lucy growled. "Are you kidding me? The first time we met, he tried to friggin' KILL me. KILL ME Erza. And when he failed, he kidnapped me and brought me here."

"Yeah… but 'here' is where you met us and will eventually marry Natsu, soooo." Wendy sang.

"That's it. I give up. I DO NOT like Natsu in that way, and I most likely never will. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

After Lucy fell asleep, the girl cooked up some plans on how to get the two together.

(1651)

**Chapter 8: ****Will I make it out alive?**

Erza roughly shook Lucy awake.

"Lucy. Wake up! Master has requested you and Wendy to meet him at Grandeeney's room in 5 minutes. He said to dress for combat."

Lucy bolted up and jumped out of bed to see Wendy already changing into sweatpants and a t-shirt with a blue dragon it.

Lucy decided on her only pair of cargo pants with a slightly dirty tank top.

"Wow Lu-chan. You look badass." Levy said sleepily, having woken up to the commotion. But, what really caught Levy's eye was Erza.

"Is that a full suit of armor?" She cried, a little more awake.

Erza ignored her and rushed the two girls out the door with Wendy hopping on one foot to tie the laces of her sneaker and Lucy hastily putting her hair up into a ponytail, barely having time to grab all her weapons. Damn, she really missed that shotgun-ax.

When they reached the appointing meeting point, Lucy and Wendy were surprised to see Natsu and Gray waiting with Master and Grandeeney.

Natsu blushed a little at the sight of Lucy while Gray sniggered. Natsu elbowed him.

Makarov was very frank and blunt due to the lack of time.

"Lucy. Have Grandeeney check your wounds." he said.

Lucy nodded and began to walk into the room when she saw Makarov's look. He wanted it to be done here. Sighing, she lifted her tank top up to expose the bandage as Natsu and Gray turned around out of respect. Erza gave Makarov a look before he complied too.

"I thought I said no exercise." Grandeeney scolded.

"Well… I couldn't just wait around…" Lucy said sheepishly.

"Hmph. I guess she's okay. The rib has healed, no thanks to my son, but I'm a little worried about the cut on your arm." Grandeeney said. She handed Lucy a leather gauntlet as Lucy lowered her shirt.

"Wear this around your wound. It'll help protect you from hotheads with knives." She said, once again, subtly attacking her son.

"Oi!" He shouted.

Makarov didn't waste another second.

"Due to the fact that we have had some major changes in the number of runners, I've had to switch up some of the teams. Since Wendy is new to this and Lucy isn't quite familiar with the rules around here, I am considerably happy that Natsu volunteered himself and Gray to help out Lucy."

"Hold up Gramps." Natsu interrupted. "Wendy volunteered?" He was shocked.

"Yes, now if I co-"

"And you're planning on sending her into the field with no prior training in anything but some basics in raiding and knife throwing? The hell!? Are you trying to kill her or something?" Natsu shouted, outraged. (Lucy bit her tongue to refrain from saying: Isn't that what you did?)

"No. Luckily enough, Lucy took the liberty in training Wendy after she saved her." Makarov explained.

"WHAT?!" He roared.

"THAT'S ENOUGH INTERRUPTIONS FROM YOU NATSU! SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH!" Makarov yelled right back, effectively quieting the hothead.

"As I was saying… From what I've heard, both Lucy and Wendy are capable enough and I already know you three five of you will form an S-Class team."

An S-Class team was an elite team whose orders came directly from Makarov himself. They did all sorts of jobs, from raiding to hunting to training. It was a rare honor. The only other S-Class teams were the Thunder Legion and the Beast Squad, out of which only one still remains. The Thunder Legion was comprised of Laxus Dreyar, Evergreen, Bixlow, and Freed. The Beast Squad was comprised of the Strauss siblings. They disbanded after Lisanna was turned.

It was safe to say that the five were speechless.

"As for the team leader, I will decide later after I've seen you work together on a mission. Said mission will take place today. Unfortunately, Cana Alberona has gone missing after collecting water. It is up to you five to find her and bring her back safely."

"But, master? How will you be able to tell who is team leader?" Gray asked.

"I have my ways."

They left it at that as Erza and Gray led the group to the gate so Natsu and Lucy could get out their cars. While the black Jeep Wrangler had originally been left to Levy as per Jet and Droys wishes, Levy knew better than to keep it. She had no use for it since she was the head of maintenance, so she gifted it to Lucy as a thank-you gift. Lucy was reluctant to accept it since Levy had already done so much for her, but Levy convinced her.

Natsu wanted to talk to Lucy and let Gray drive, despite Erza's protests as he climbed into Lucy's car with Wendy in tow. He chose to ignore the looks Gray was sending him. So what if Lucy was his typ- No. He couldn't afford any distractions at the moment.

Lucy could sense what he wanted to talk about.

"I trained her because she needed it." Lucy said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"How di-"

"Please. You're too readable." Lucy said. Natsu chose to ignore that comment.

"What gives you the right to decide if she needs it, no offense." He said, not wanting to get into another fight.

"None taken. It's simple. Without the little training she had, Wendy would have died that day. In today's world, you need to know how to defend yourself and keep zombies away. It's simply foolish to try and protect her innocence when she's seen the world as it is." Lucy said.

Natsu nodded. "And how did you teach her?" He asked. "You must be a good teacher if Wendy's being put into a S-Class team without any experience as a regular runner."

"I taught her the way I learned to fight." Lucy knew he would throw a fit.

"And that is…" He prompted her. Lucy collected her nerves.

"I told her a few tips for the basic things like holding a knife or gun. How to shoot, best ways to stab. In today's world, the best way to learn is to learn on the job."

Natsu froze.

"So I would find a house with 1-2 zombies and have her find her own method of fighting."

"So you just left her there to die?" He asked.

"Of course not! If things got too hairy, I was always ready to jump in and protect her."

"So you sent her into a death trap and I'm supposed to feel better about it because you were watching her? What if you weren't fast enough or you got hurt? How would that benefit Wendy then? How wou-"

"Natsu. Relax. Had it not been for Lucy teaching me the way she did, I would still be stuck at base feeling useless. Or worse: dead and turned. I wouldn't understand how adaptable you need to be or how fast or even how clever and in the end, it's no different than how anyone else learned except for the fact that I had someone who knew what they were doing to help me."

As hard as Natsu tried, he couldn't find a strong counter arguement and just grunted.

"We're here." Lucy said softly. Makarov had told them that the last place Cana had been reportedly seen was in a supermarket in a supposedly cleared sector.

Gray and Erza pulled up shortly after and Erza opened her window, prompting Lucy to do the same.

"Any idea on what to do next?" Lucy asked.

"I'd say we should split up. Gray and I will check out the supermarket while you three check out the houses that are closest."

They all agreed and went along with the plan.

"Lucy? Which house first?" Wendy asked and Natsu felt a little offended. Why hadn't his little sister turned to him first for advice?

"Hmmm. Not sure… Who's Cana?"

"She's that girl who groped you a couple of night ago."

Natsu sweatdropped. What kinda relationship did they have? Was Lucy a mega pervert?

"She was drunk, right?" Lucy inquired.

Wendy nodded.

"Natsu. From what I heard, you have the best sense of smell and hearing. Can you smell any alcohol?"

Natsu sniffed the air. He walked around the store and he was pretty sure Gray flipped him off after seeing him through a window, but he didn't care.

Suddenly, he stopped.

"I can smell something. It sure does smell like alcohol." He said. "Why'd you wanna know?"

"I'm going on a limb here when I propose the idea that Cana is an alcoholic."

"You're totally correct." Wendy said.

Natsu understood where she was going.

"So say Cana found some wine yesterday…" Lucy continued.

"She probably drank it and passed out drunk. Hell. She's probably still passed out drunk with the way she drinks." Natsu finished.

Lucy smiled.

"Alright then. Let's go follow your nose." Lucy said.

Wendy stared at the two in amazement. They really were made for each other.

Natsu led the girls two houses over. They worked as a team to make sure they got any zombies before the zombie got them.

Luckily there were no zombies.

"Ughhh!" Natsu groaned. "This is so boring."

Lucy chuckled as she and Wendy said in unison, "Boring is Better."

Natsu shot them a side glance. "Well aren't you two little know-it-all sages."

"Baka!" Lucy cried. "I am not old!"

"The fact that _that_ is the part you took away." Natsu muttered. "So vain."

"LUCY KICK!" She yelled as she kicked Natsu.

"Ow! Damn it Luce, we're trying to be quiet like Ninjas, not load oafs." Natsu shouted.

Wendy sweatdropped at the hypocrisy of the statement.

"Uh, guys? Aren't we here for a reason?" She reminded them.

Natsu froze and Lucy blushed a bit. Back on business, they scoured each room in the house.

"Gahhh! I don't get it!" Natsu moaned. "I can actually smell the alcohol in the air, but Cana isn't there. It's like a game of cat and mouse."

Lucy's brows furrowed. "Like a…"

"Trail!" They exclaimed simultaneously. They looked at each other for a few seconds before blushing a little as they tried to get out of the awkward situation.

"Aren't trails supposed to be followed?" Wendy asked, pointing out the obvious. This was getting old. Fast.

Natsu led the girls once again throughout the house, searching room after room until they had made it to the basement.

"She better be here." Natsu muttered.

They made their way down the creaky, old stairs. Their heartbeats beat in a synchronized pattern, matching the pace of their steps. Once they had made it the bottom, Natsu made Lucy turn her headlight on. What they saw next scarred them for a considerable amount of time.

(1879)

* * *

**Cliffhanger, or not? Also... I'm pretty sure the next chapter classifies as a poorly written crack chapter (I already wrote it) so be prepared. So, as a celebration of 1 month since I first posted this story, I have managed to put together two chapters. YAY!**

**On with the reviews:**

Ushndeshi: Ya know, I never thought about that, but I think your right! It does resemble a little of the second episode. As to the second comment, friends is just the begining! I can picture love, hurt, angst, worry, and comedy in the future!

Kalessia04: Well, cookies are awesome and I am now craving cookies... You said that Natsu should not be bothered and I find that interesting. On one hand, you are right, but on the other hand, Lucy (in a way) stripped Wendy of her innocence, and one of the big things going for Natsu is his overprotectiveness of Wendy. The more Wendy is qualified to battle, the more chance she's gonna get hurt, so thats my main reasoning. Your thoughts?

Guest?: great!

TeamSophie909: Thanks! Honestly, I don't think Levy will play that big of a role once the actual plot starts, but she definitely is a key player is the Matchmaker Squad!


	9. Make it out Alive?

**Chapter 9: make it out alive?**

_What they saw next scarred them for a considerable amount of time._

All three screamed, Natsu's voice being the highest.

"Cana!?" Wendy cried and Lucy and Natsu covered her eyes to prevent her from seeing the ghastly sight, but the damage was already done. Wendy could never forget what she'd seen and she knew it would haunt her nightmares.

This sight almost made Lucy regret joining Fairy Tail. Natsu, one of the bravest soldiers, was ready to run home, crying.

But what was this horrid sight?

Had Cana turned into a zombie?

No.

While it was Cana, there was no zombie in the picture. What was so scary was that she currently dancing around the basement, butt naked and definitely drunk. Utterly horrifying.

Even worse, Cana had heard Wendy's cry and turned around to face the intruders.

"Luuccccyyyy!" She shouted and ran up to the poor girl, groping her breasts. "I -hic- wish I had -hic- a rack like -hic- that."

After embarrassing Lucy, she moved on to her next victim: Natsu.

"Of course, Dragon Boy over here wishes he could do that. Between the two of us, I'm sure Lucy wouldn't mind after seeing your giant di-"

"Alright. That's enough." Natsu said, bright red. "Luce, help Cana out while I save Wendy."

"Sure thing." She said, dreading what would happen.

"Wendy is here?" Cana cried.

Lucy sense danger and yelled at Natsu to cover Wendy's ears and run as she turned to face the danger at hand.

Cana dealt her winning hand.

"Make sure you tell your brother to -Mpph! Let go lucy- Lucy senseless!" She screamed, right as Erza and Gray entered the house.

Natsu couldn't calm his bright red face as he bolted with Wendy in his arms.

"RUN!" He screamed at the two standing in the doorway. He shoved them aside and followed his own advice.

Gray and Erza quickly followed Natsu to the Black Jeep Wrangler.

"We gotta go." He said, fumbling for the keys.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! What about Lucy? And why are you so red?" Gray asked, alarmed.

"It's too late for her. She sacrificed herself so we could make it."

Of course, Gray and Erza's minds jumped to the worst possibilities. Zombies.

"You idiot! How could you just leave her there to fend for herself?!"

"It was for Wendy's sake. If Wendy had stayed much longer, I don't know if she would've made it out."

"I'm going in." Erza said.

Natsu jumped up and tried to drag Erza back.

"Lucy will be fine."

Erza gave him a hard look.

"At least physically she will. Hopefully."

Erza sat down and demanded that Natsu tell her everything. He did. Once he finished, Gray looked like he was in mental pain as Erza sobbed in mourning of Lucy.

"So young." She wept.

"Gray. You and Natsu must go in and save Lucy."

"Why me?!" Gray cried. If he was going to have nightmares without actually seeing it, then what would seeing _it_ do to him?

"You are a stripper, so you must know what to do. As for Natsu, it's because he likes her."

Natsu yelped. "Hold up: A- _I_ didn't ask why, so you did NOT have to say that. B- I do not like her like that."

Erza smirked. "Why Natsu… I didn't mean it like "_that_" I was simply pointing out that you like her as a friend. Of course, it seems your reaction says otherwise."

Natsu clutched his brain in pain and disappointment in himself.

"Gahhugh. Let's just go and save Lucy."

"No need. I managed just fine by myself." A voice called from a few feet over.

"LUCY!" The four cried in relief and happiness. There she was dragging what seemed to be a squirming figure bound in ropes.

"Ermmmm! Gereaskd!" THe bundle seemed to say.

"I had to gag her because her lips were _very_ loose." Lucy explained.

"So no zombies?" Gray asked, tentatively.

"Not at the moment, but we've got to hurry up before it gets dark. Natsu, help me load this little shit into the Wrangler." Lucy said. Gray, Wendy, and Erza raised an eyebrow each. Her choice of help was interesting.

Natsu complied, taking their captive's head and shoulders. Little did he know that Cana had seen the knife in his belt and used it to cut off her gag. Of course, she was still drunk, but could think ahead. She knew that if she spoke now, Lucy would gag her again. She would wait until they were safely in the car with Lucy driving.

Natsu had told Wendy to go with Gray and Erza as a precaution. He had a bad feeling and he was usually right.

No less than five minutes of driving in silence had passed before they heard giggling coming from the back seat.

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other before swearing.

"Oooohhhh yeahhhhh!" Cana giggled. "I got put with the two loveybirds."

"I swear Cana. One more word out of you and I'll take your tongue." Natsu growled.

"Who? Me?" She said, acting innocent.

"Yeah you! Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused us or the base?" Natsu said angrily.

"You all just need to take a chill pill. Relaxeand live a little." She drawled on. "Maybe if you both let loose, you would finally hook up with Lucy!"

"And here I've been wondering why you haven't hooked up with Bacchus." Natsu retorted back.

"Oh I've hooked up with him, just not publicly." Cana said as both Lucy and Natsu understood the hidden words.

"So Lucy…" Cana continued. Lucy got scared. "Is this your first time witnessing Sasstsu?"

"Sass...tsu?" Lucy questioned, seriously confused.

"Sasstsu! It stands for sassy Natsu! Cuz Natsu can be sooooo girly sometimes!" Cana roared with laughter.

Natsu's eye twitched in anger. "Girly you say…"

"Yeah. If you really can catch him by surprise, he'll scream higher than a girl. The only one who can match his pitch is Sherria."

Lucy laughed as she remembered Natsu's scream when they first saw Cana. Maybe a drunk Cana wasn't too bad. Especially since they had finally arrived at Fairy Tail.

"Welcome back!" A posh voice called from the guard station.

"Yeah yeah Freed. Just let us through." Natsu groaned, wanting to escape the barrage of attacks Cana was sending his way. How the hell was she so perceptive? She'd only seen them together for a few moments and she was already trying to get them together.

"Master wants to see you guys as soon as possible." Freed shouted as he let them through.

Natsu just waved his arm at him in acknowledgement.

Lucy and Natsu worked together to regag Cana and carry her up to Makarov's office: The former principal's office.

Erza was waiting for them there as she hurried them into the room.

"Ah! You've finally arrived and I see you've brought Cana back."

"Yup. She just drank all night." Lucy explained.

"The gag?"

"Apparently she doesn't filter her thoughts from her words when she'd drunk. She was being very personal, so we gagged her. Twice."

Makarov nodded.

"From what I heard, you two were the most successful on the mission. Is that correct?"

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other and shrugged. Makarov noted that they didn't even say a word. Good chemistry.

"Yes they were." Wendy said. "Together, they were able to deduce what had happened and track Cana down as well as neutralize her when she posed a threat."

"Threat? To what?" Makarov said, alarmed. Could a drunk Cana possibly help them in battle?

Wendy snickered. "To their secrets!"

He should've known. Nodding, Makarov made up his mind. "This team will be co-lead by Natsu and Lucy."

Erza looked a little sulky, but she cheered up when Makarov sent her a wink. He was really sly. Of course, he put them together. He was probably gonna do that from the start.

"Now got get some rest. You're real first mission start tomorrow."

The new team smiled and agreed to meet in Lucy's room after changing for some "Team Bonding" with Levy, Jellal, and this Gajeel Lucy kept on hearing about. She had heard he was a blacksmith. Could he possibly recreate the shotgun ax?

(1372) Yeah... not so much but I hope my weird humor made up for it!

* * *

**SO yeah... I'll admit it was soooo fun writing that... And Now prepare for lots of more serious action... I think... Quick note to those who actually read these notes, I haven't mentioned this but each time I update, I do post when I plan to update on my profile page but since no one seemed to yell at me when I did miss the date a few chappies ago, I'm assuming you guys didn't know. Well now that I've told you, I'll actually have to write faster to stay a chappie ahead, so down below are some quick responses to my AMAZING COMMENTS from my AMAZING READERS to an AMAZING AUTHOR (hehe).**

* * *

Ushindeshi: Such a faithful reviewer...You bet they are a team! And just wait! It's gonna be so awesome with a mini Mira (lol Wendy) on the team. ships galore! Actually, I've been working on a way to introduce Romeo (I ship Wendy with him) and its gonna be EPIC.

suzaanoelofse01: So I'm gonna answer this in order...

Thanks, thanks, and obviously! I mean to have such a great story, you need an awesome writer (jk). But seriously, thanks! I totally understand what you mean! I was reading this really long zombie one and it was good in the sense of writing and grammar (hehe i make a bunch of mistakes sometimes), but I was a little ticked off when I kept seeing Lucy downplayed to a simple victim of horrible stuff. Aside from the fact that I personally don't like writing about such horrible things like that, I simply find it uncomfortable as a reader. Of course, I'm not trying to insult whoever wrote those fanfics. As for keeping everyone in character, yeah. You see, in my rough drafts, I tended to make Natsu seem weirder than he is and a little too pushy, so I'm happy to see that you think that! But as I've said before, expect the NaLu to come in a little slowly. Still working on the whole epiphany moment for Lucy. But You'll be happy with the already confirmed GaLe (which is minor, but still relevant), Gruvia, and Jerza.

fairytailfanatic0703: Haha, I wish I could, but there's this horrible thing I have to go to every day called school and I am swamped with a shitton of work... still, i'll do the best I can.

Kalessia04: Well, I'm glad because I was a little iffy on that, but I think I'll do that sort of thing on every monthly anniversary! So I guess Natsu's reaction wasn't over the top, but he was a little bothered by it. Hope you liked it.

SharmintiSharminti: lol here ya go!

Now a question for everyone: Fave ship in FT and why?

Rate and Review, please!


	10. Am I gonna fly, am I gonna fall?

**Chapter 10: ****Am I gonna fly, am I gonna fall?**

Lucy couldn't deny that she was surprised that Natsu could get her to laugh so easily. His laughter was infectious, making her realize that everything wasn't as bad as it seemed. His favorite way to past time seemed to be teasing Gray. Natsu jumped from Juvia, the girl who seemed to be in love with Gray, to his stripping habit. He'd already lost his pants twice.

"Damn it Gray! Are you trying to hit on my kid sister?" It would have sounded intimidating if Natsu wasn't trying and failing to suppress laughter.

Suddenly Gajeel barged in. "Once again, I'm not surprised to walk in on Ice Boy with no pants. Or Flame Brain looking constipated."

Lucy studied the guy. He looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Oi!" The two victims of the statement shouted.

"I do hope you boys aren't gonna start a fight!" Erza hissed from her cuddles with Jellal.

All three joined arms as they chorused, "no ma'am!"

When Erza seemed to be sleeping again, they jumped apart, Gajeel heading to Levy while Gray and Natsu walked towards Wendy and Lucy.

'Hey Luuuceee! Play with meeeee…." Natsu moaned.

Lucy scoffed. "One: It's LucY with a Y. Two: Go entertain yourself."

Gray chuckled. "You too Fullbuster."

He seemed to flinch at the statement and joined Natsu in puppy dog eyes.

Wendy snickered as she saw Lucy's resolve wavering. Luckily for Lucy, the door burst open once again, showing Cana hungover.

"What's up Lucy!" She said, holding her head in pain. "Finally get Natsu to - MPHM!"

"Why don't you have a seat?" Lucy said, patting the spot on her bed only for her hand to hit something not so soft. It was rather hard. Looking down, she shrieked and jumped from her bed.

"GET OUT OF MY BED NATSU!" She screamed as Erza suddenly woke up.

"Where's the zombie?" She shouted.

Lucy realized why what she felt was so hard. It was his Abs. _Those were rock solid…. No. Focus. This isn't some anime highschool romance!_

"No zombie, just Salamander sitting on Bunny Girl's bed."

"THE NAME'S LUCY! GET IT RIGHT!"

"Nah. Bunny Girl suits ya better."

"Where'd that even come from?"

"Your shirt. It has a bunny on it."

"Huh?!" Turns out Gajeel was right. There was a bunny on her shirt and she hadn't even noticed.

"Hmph."

"See, Natsu and Lucy should _totally_ hook up. Right, Wendy?"

"You keep Wendy out of this." Natsu snarled as Wendy chirped a yes.

Natsu clutched his chest at his sister's response as he dramatically fell back onto Lucy's bed. "How thy has woundeth me!"

"Maybe Lucy's kiss would make it better Flame Brain."

"Not you too Gray!" Lucy cried, covering her face with her hands.

"That's it. Out."

"C'mon Lucyyy. I didn't meeeaaan it," Cana moaned as Lucy forcibly shoved her out along with Jellal, and Gray.

"Party's over. Go to bed and rest or whatever. We have to get up early tomorrow so don't forget that." Lucy reminded them as she turned to Natsu, figuring out how she would get him off her bed.

15 minutes later, Gajeel, Levy, Erza, and Wendy were snickering as Lucy struggled to get Natsu off her bed. That was it.

"It's getting late, Natsu. Get off!" She whined. Her only response was snoring and more snickering. She gave up.

She went into the girls' bathroom and changed into the pajamas she had been given. Gym shorts and another tank top with a sweater if it got cold. She put her sweater away since, if she was correct, it was summer. June? July? Who knew...

When she came back, Gajeel was leaving and Levy was going to stay over again. Much to Lucy's annoyance, Natsu was still in her bed. Sighing, she just told him to scooch and she settled in right next to him.

Levy and Wendy exchanged grins as Erza fell asleep. Wendy had to admit just how sly her brother was when he hid behind his stupidity and cluelessness.

Soon, all of them were snoring away as they suffered nightmares of a naked Cana.

Once again, Erza acted as their alarm clock in the morning.

"You guys better improve on waking up on time. Tonight's my last night with you guys, so I can't wake you up after tomorrow." She said.

Lucy just yawned as she stretched. She tried to get out of bed, but two strong arms pulled her back.

"Eep!"

Wendy woke up with Levy as they stared at the scene in front of them. Lucy was being held captive by a sleeping Natsu.

"Whoops! I guess I forgot to tell you that he's a cuddler despite his tough guy act." Wendy snickered.

Lucy glared at the girl she had saved. If she knew that she was this troublesome… nah. She was just kidding.

She carefully attempted to peel Natsu's arms off her, but he was too strong. Erza seemed to come up with a solution.

"NATSU WAKE UP!" She screamed.

His eyes shot open and he whimpered.

"Itwasn'tmeitwasgra- oh hey Luigi!" He said, smiling. Lucy cleared her throat and sent a pointed look to his arms.

Natsu quickly retracted his arms. "Whoops! Sorry about that!"

Lucy quickly got out and grabbed some random clothes to throw on. Turns out, they were the same ones as the day before. She couldn't be picky. _Wait... What had Natsu called her? _She shook her head. It was no time to start thinking about him.

She beat her own personal record of fastest dresser and grabbed her weapons. She had just finished securing her last knife in place when she saw Natsu standing by the doorway.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah. You take forever to get ready."

Lucy scoffed. "Please. If I wanted to take forever, you'd be waiting here all day."

"NATSU! LUCY! GET YOUR ASSES MOVING!" Erza yelled, waking up their neighbors in the process.

The duo hurried down to the Master's office to hear their mission for today.

"Lucy and Natsu. You need to conduct a hunt on quadrant two of Sector 3. I'll be expecting you back by dusk in three days, so I had Mira prepare you all necessary meals on the go with extra snacks." Makarov said. "I've also taken the liberty in including a couple grenades and bombs with your weapons pack. We need to clean those bastards out as soon as possible before November. It's June. We're already behind. Now get moving."

Natsu and Lucy briefed their team members on the way there. Gray and Erza were quite experienced in hunting, but Wendy was a little confused.

"So we take a look at the population of zombies and just kill them?"

"Yeah. Headshots and burning and more killing. Don't waste ammo or weapons. Make sure you are always covered. Sector Three includes Akane Resort, so this will be tough." Lucy said.

"Again with the burning," Natsu said.

"From what I've heard, you're even more obsessed with fire so shut it Pyro."

"Alright. I burned down the chemistry lab once. That's it. It was a total accident."

Lucy gave him a look.

"Alright maybe twice, but still."

Gray snorted. "It was more like 5 times. I remember being surprised you weren't expelled."

Natsu just scoffed and mumbled a half-assed excuse.

"Let's get back to the task at hand. We need a plan." Lucy said.

"I think we should split up into two teams like yesterday," Erza said. "If we work our way down from opposite ends of the quadrant, we can round them up at the resort hotel and burn it."

"Alright, but do try to kill as many as possible on the way to the hotel. Also, leave the actual amusement park alone. We'll need to clear that separately. Damn, this might take more than one day." Natsu said.

Lucy agreed. "Then it's a good thing I brought extra food."

They split their rations and supplies as they went their separate ways.

Master had given them walkie-talkies that had been discovered the day prior during a raid. He couldn't spare any batteries, so Lucy had to use them sparingly. She handed one to Gray.

"Not sure about the battery, but they work for now. Good luck." She said as she turned off the safety on her gun.

Gray nodded as he and Erza took the car and started driving towards the opposite end of the quadrant.

Lucy turned to Natsu and Wendy and signaled to keep hidden. She knew that there were plenty of zombies in the area, more than Wendy had ever faced.

They went house by house, slowly making their way along the quadrant. At that moment, Natsu and Wendy were working on a two story house with a basement. They had already gone through the basement (no naked Cana this time to Natsu's relief) and were halfway through the first floor when they saw Lucy through a window. Natsu watched in amazement as she faced 6 zombies at once. She was armed with a whip and knife, having lost her pistol in the house she was clearing.

In one move, she had decapitated 3 of them with a whip as she went in to stab one. She had anticipated the fifth zombie to attack so she twirled around and ducked, flicking her whip again. Now she had one left, which she took care of by throwing her knife.

To Natsu's horror, another one had snuck up and was about to bite Lucy when a shot sounded and a window shattered. Natsu turned to the source and did a doubletake to see it was Wendy.

Lucy gave Wendy a thumbs up as she scrambled to retrieve her knife and pistol. She did some things with her hand and Wendy nodded, understanding the strange message.

"Lucy said that there were two upstairs," Wendy explained.

Natsu pushed his questions to the back of his mind as he raced upstairs with his sister to do his job.

Killing the zombies was the easy part. It was the broken glass on the floor that tripped Natsu up. After Wendy and him had each taken one out, he had tripped and cut him arm on a shard. But, Wendy was already ready with a first-aid kit. She moved quickly, disinfecting it and applying a bandage.

When she had finished, Lucy had finally found them and crouched down.

"This street is clear for now, but I expect some zombies will migrate here sooner or later. We need a distraction somewhere closer to the resort to draw them there."

"Let me guess," Natsu said. "Blow up a house?"

Lucy smiled. "You know it. But, this is gonna be different than mos- Is that an axe?" She cried.

Natsu turned to where Lucy was looking and there it was. A rather sharp looking axe was sitting on a shelf.

"Uh Lucy, I don't think that's such a good idea." Wendy said, already knowing what Lucy was thinking. She'd seen the contraption at the house they'd met at. She also knew what happened to it.

Lucy said nothing as she picked it up. She proceeded to search the hose until she found what she was looking for. A shotgun.

Natsu was lost. What was Lucy doing? Turning to Wendy for answers, he was met with a sigh.

He heard the rather loud sound of duck tape being opened and saw Lucy taping the axe to the shotgun.

"Is she seriously…"

"Yup. She lost her last one, so she's been trying to look for an axe to recreate it." Wendy said.

"Great. A psycho pervert with a joint weapon. Just what we needed." He said, sarcastically.

"I'm NOT a pervert!" Lucy said. "Anyway, let's go clear a few more hoses before trapping them.

Her count was 43 zombies while Natsu had killed 48. Wendy was at a steady 35. That was the good part. The bad part was that they had barely started clearing. There were hundreds of people visiting Akane when it hit, which added a lot to the already large population. If Natsu recalled correctly, Gajeel had lived in sector 4. Wait, no. It was Juvia, right? Maybe it was Max... It didn't matter anyway.

This time, they worked as a team. Since Lucy now had her shotgun-axe, she was able to give Wendy her pistol as she perfected her own techniques.

"How experienced are you in using … that?" Natsu asked, uneasy about the new weapon.

"There's nothing like learning on the job!" She said, stars in her eyes. That just made Natsu feel worse.

Lucy went in first, using her axe extension to slice right through first zombie's brain. The top part of the scalp slid off, splattering blood on Natsu who was standing beside Lucy. He gingerly wiped it off, glaring at the girl.

"Whoops! Sorry!" She said.

She took note of how different Natsu was at base and in the field. At the base, he seemed to have less than half a brain, yet on the field, he was a genius. He worked methodically to go through each house, knowing exactly how to attack each zombie.

"Let's split up. Lucy, you take the top floor so you don't kill us with that death stick if you miss the zombie and we'll take the basement. First one to reach the middle owes the other a favor."

"Excuse me! I don't _miss_ when I aim." She hissed as she stalked up the stairs, weapon ready.

Natsu snickered as he made his way to the basement. It was too funny to wind her up. He and Wendy made a great team as they were able to nail every single zombie. Wendy only missed once.

Lucy, on the other hand, was struggling. She couldn't believe that there had been so many zombies in the top floor. The first room had held maybe 15 while more had come out after hearing noise. Lucy was panting as she hacked each one down, one by one. The shotgun was getting heavy in her hands and her whip was somewhere in the center of the mass of zombies that had collected. They were backing her up into a corner. That was bad.

"Shit." Lucy hissed as another one came up behind her. He arms ached as she swung again, getting two this time. The only benefit was that the weapon allowed her more distance when fighting.

She gasped as she saw teeth flashing, grabbing her arm as she swung back. She grabbed a knife in her belt and threw it. It lodged in between the zombie's eyes, but the damage was done. She had felt the teeth clamp down. To her surprise, it didn't hurt to much, just pressure.

Still in shock, she quickly checked her arm, ignoring the zombies advancing. At that moment, she thanked the gods and her parents who were probably in heaven. The zombie had bit the gauntlet Grandeeney had given her. She saw little teeth marks on the leather, but none had pierced through. A shot shook her out of her shock. (**Yo does this count as alliteration?)**

"Wendy!" She cried. She saw blue hair dasing back down the stairs. Lucy jumped back into the action. She used the gun part this time and killed the 10 who were chasing after Wendy. Next, she ripped the tape off and took the axe in her hand. There was not as much distance as before, but it was lighter.

She went back to swinging, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her heart was pounding, but something caught her eye. It was a door. She yanked it open and there were no zombies, just empty beer bottles. She quickly jumped inside, barricading the door.

"This won't last," she muttered. She searched for somewhere to escape. Her eyes landed on the ceiling. It was a trapdoor. She stood on her tippy-toes to reach the handles, but it was too high. She cursed her short height and began to jump up and down in an attempt to grab the handle.

She was able to open the door on her third jump. She quickly pulled down the ladder, and climbed as if there was tomorrow. It hit her right then and there. There might not be one if she couldn't escape.

She felt a breeze as she reached the top, wincing as she heard the door downstairs break down.

"Is this the roof?" She asked in disbelief. Looking over the edge, she knew that the jump down would cause her to break a bone. And then what? Have Natsu take care of her for the rest of the mission? That was not an option.

A sound of nails on wood told her that she couldn't go back either. The zombies were coming and they were definitely not stopping. When the first eyeless faces appeared, flesh rotting a little, she knew she had no choice.

She stood at the edge of the roof as the zombies charged towards her.

"NATSU!" She yelled as she jumped, shooting at the zombies.

Now, she'd either fly or fall.

* * *

**so i'm late?... yeah... sorry... I blame it on school... my responses will be short since class starts in like 2 minutes**

Kalessia04: good choice! I love NaLu and Jerza too!

Ushindeshi: Glad you think so!

Questions:

Favorite arc and why?


	11. Am I gonna live, gonna lose it all?

**Chapter 11: ****Am I gonna live, gonna lose it all?**

"_NATSU!" She yelled as she jumped, shooting at the zombies._

_Now, she'd either fly or fall._

Natsu had made it up first and already started clearing the middle floor with Wendy when he decided that Lucy was taking too long.

"It's been too long. Wendy! Go up the stairs and see how Luce is doing. If something happened, come back right away and tell me. I'll take it from there."

Natsu swore when he heard Wendy shoot and she came back. He heard 5 more shots.

"It's bad. There about 30 more upstairs."

_30? That _was_ bad._

"Wendy, get out of the house."

"No way! Lucy nee-"

"I know. But Luce is smart. She'll make it out. While she does that, I'm gonna blow it up." He said.

He shot the last zombie on that floor before detaching the grenade from his belt. He let out a few shots and his wish had been heard. Half the zombies chasing after Lucy went after the noise.

He ran to the gas stove and turned it on. He found a propane tank in a stored away grill and prayed it would work as he spilled all the liquid inside it on the floor. Then, he took out his gun and shot at the window until it broke. As he jumped he pulled the pin on the grenade. Yet, right as he launched himself off, he heard his name being yelled.

"NATSU!"

Looking up, he saw the blonde jump from the roof. _Welp. It looks like she's as crazy as me._

His instincts kicked in as he angled himself in the best possible position to catch Lucy. Once Lucy was safely in his arms, he came to the realization that Lucy was going to hit the fence, so he turned his body around so he would hit it first.

"Oof." He said as his back made contact with the fence, effectively knocking it down as the house burst in flames. Discarded on the side were their weapons, relatively unharmed.

Lucy and Natsu groaned as Lucy rolled over to the side to let Natsu get up.

"Thanks Natsu." She said, slowly getting up.

"No problem." He moaned, doing the same.

"Omigosh! Natsu! Lucy! Are you guys hurt? Did you break something?" Wendy frantically panicked.

"Don't think so." Lucy said, stretching out her back as Natsu grunted.

"On that note… THAT WAS SOOOO COOL!" Wendy cheered. "It was like it was from an anime or something."

Lucy chuckled. "It sure seems to hurt more though."

"I second that." Natsu joined in. "But, we better get going if we wanna survive. Zombies will be coming in a few minutes."

Wendy and Lucy picked up their weapons and made their way to Akane Resort. It was a slow walk due to the fact that Natsu and Lucy still hurt from their escapade, so when Wendy saw the bicycles, they happily agreed.

Now they were traveling faster, killing any zombie that they saw in the open. Honestly, quadrant 4 consisted of about 2 towns and the resort, which meant that it wasn't as big as other quadrants. Once their team had finished up with that town they were clearing, Lucy radioed Gray. He picked up.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah. It's me. We finished the first town and were just wondering about you guys."

"We just have two more streets. Nothing more."

"Alright. Then we'll meet up at the resort and decide what to do from there."

"Copy that."

Lucy put her walky-talky away as she relayed the message. It took them less than 15 minutes to get there with their bikes. When they arrived, Erza had radioed in that her group was on their way.

When Erza arrived, she immediately asked if there had been any trouble and Lucy filled her in on their worst encounter.

"Hold on. Let me get this straight. Flame-Brain over here was able to actually catch you?" Gray said in disbelief.

"Yeah. Though I must say, she was a bit heavier than I expected."

Lucy whacked Natsu with the back of her reassembled shotgun-axe. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!"

Erza grabbed the weapon out of Lucy's hands.

"This is… AMAZING!" She cried. "What gave you the idea? Why haven't _we_ come up with the idea?"

"I, uh, found one that looked professionally made, but I lost it." Lucy said with a questioning tone.

"Very well then, I will have Gajeel recreate it then when we get back." Erza declared.

Lucy smiled as Wendy, Gray, and Natsu shivered in fear. If Erza got a weapon like that… would the base even be left standing?

Of course, their little reunion was unsurprisingly cut short by zombies.

"Damn it," Gray said, stripping his shirt.

"Well, this ain't the time to get naked!" Natsu shouted. "Weirdo."

Gray hastily put his shirt back on as he got out his knife.

"Say, Ice Butt… How many did you get today?"

"SO far, 82." Gray replied. "83 now."

"That's good, but not good enough." Natsu said, slashing a zombie. "That makes 97."

"You boys are pathetic. I've already killed 143." Erza bellowed. Lucy shrunk back in surprise.

"_143?_" She cried. "I've only killed 115!"

Gray and Natsu winced as Wendy hung her head in shame. "But _I've_ only gotten 66."

"Hold on. That's 504 zombies." Lucy said. "508 now." A shot rang out, causing 4 to fall over. **(So when I was rechecking this, I realized how bad my math was and I was all like... thats 503 zombies... 510 ten now... causing 2 to fall over... I think its fixed.)**

"Master said that there was a total of 400 inhabitants and 150 guests which brings us to about 550 people give or take 20. We still have yet to clear the resort, so why are there so many zombies?" Erza asked.

"Zombies are semi-nomadic. While they stick to one area, say a quadrant, they'll travel around freely. My guess is that something happened in that hotel and it drove the zombies away." Lucy said.

"I say we kill these zombies and then check it out." Wendy voiced her opinion. Natsu ruffled his little sister's hair.

"It's a done deal."

"Phew! Gramps gonna be surprised we finished in one day."

"Natsu, it's 4 AM." Gray deadpanned.

"Yeah. One day."

"Let's just go check out the hotel before we head back."

Erza and Gray brought Natsu's car around and they all managed to fit. Natsu decided to drive this time and Lucy climbed into the passenger's seat while the rest piled into the back. They ended up falling asleep.

"Hey Luce?" Natsu said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me about your first day?"

"Huh?"

"Your first day of the apocalypse. You kinda told us but didn't really give any details.

"Oh."

"Crap, I'm pushing again aren't I...You don't have to answer that. I was just wondering."

"Nah, it's fine. I guess it's kinda mean leaving you with less than half of the story."

* * *

_Lucy and Michelle were giggling at their favorite character on Supernatural._

"_You know what would be nice, Lucy?"_

"_What?"_

"_Chocolate popcorn!" _

_Lucy had to agree and rushed to the kitchen to attempt to make it. _

_Michelle yelled a bunch of silly advice, shrieking in laughter each time. Though they weren't bound by blood, they were sisters and they would never forget that._

_Lucy busied herself in preparing the melted chocolate after heating up the popcorn. _

_Unsure what to do, she just poured the chocolate into the bowl of popcorn. Only then did she realize her mistake._

_Michelle walked in to see Lucy's progress. "Oh dear Lucy!" _

_They laughed as they flicked drops of chocolate at each other. Once the chocolate had sort of hardened, they decided to head back to the tv and just eat it like fudge._

_Lucy cursed herself for forgetting napkins and knives and left Michelle to go get them._

_While she was searching for a clean knife, Lucy heard the sound of a window smashing and a scream. Lucy quickly grabbed what appeared to be a meat cleaver and ran to see what was happening. Was there an intruder? Were they looking to steal or for something else? Or Something more?_

_There was another scream and Lucy's heart dropped._

"_Michelle?" She called. The power had gone out and her generator was a little sluggish, so it was pitch black._

_One by one, the lights turned back on only for Lucy to see an eyeless version of Michelle right in her face. It was horrifying. She could see part of the girl's neck was missing, almost like a bite mark. Blood was rushing down and splattered a bit._

_Lucy screamed in fear and swung her meat cleaver as a reflex. She screamed again but in disgust this time. She had just sliced through her best friend's head. She could feel the blood oozing down the knife, covering her hand. It slowly trickled down her arm and collected at her elbow where it dripped on the floor. She was sobbing. What the hell had happened? How could she have killed her own best friend? Her own sister? Her self pity party was cut short as an inhuman growl erupted from the middle of the room._

_Lucy could still remember the break in the show where the news took over,_

"_This is an Emergency Order. Please stay in your homes and barricade the windows and doors. There has been an outbreak in a disease and we have our top scientists researching all possible cures. Do not let the infected bite you. I Repeat -"_

_She didn't hear the rest because the TV was smashed by the creature before her. It was … the gardner?_

_She thought about running, but couldn't. Her legs were made of rubber. Her heart pounded and the beast charged. She had no chance of escaping._

* * *

**Okay, so it's a bit rushed, but it should be fine. Rate and Review, please!**

**Responses:**

**fairytailfanatic0703: Thanks! And if I can devise a way to incorporate Mest into the story, then sure!**

**Kalessia04: Well, that was my inspiration. I do try to include memorable moments in the anime in this story, so this is probably one of my favorites. Again, you have Natsu's gun which is the equivalent to the scarf which he looses in the fight against hades and Lucy gets it back for him... Idk... As for the arcs, my favorite is the GMG because not only do you get a LOT of Nalu, I love the fact that they aren't face the threat of death constantly, which enables Natsu to get all powerful and stuff and it also may have to do with the fact that I LOVED Gajeel and Natsu vs Rogue and Sting... :) But I also love Tower of Heaven because of Erza's backstory. You get to see why she was so demanding and the Jellal vs Natsu was EPIC.**

**Ushindeshi: Thanks!**

Question for Today:

Who's your favorite Dragon Slayer and exceed? Why?


	12. The pressure is weighing down

**Chapter 12: The pressure is weighing down**

_She thought about running, but couldn't. Her legs were made of rubber. Her heart pounded and the beast charged. She had no chance of escaping._

_Lucy braced herself for the attack, but it never came. Instead, there was a single gunshot. _

"_Capricorn!" Lucy cried. There was more glass breaking and more of the inhuman growls._

"_You must go Lucy. Your parent are waiting for you. Tell them I will meet you once you reach the hideout. Go and keep the knife."_

_Lucy nodded and ran up the stairs without looking back, tears in her eyes. _

"_Mom! Dad!" She cried, running towards their bedroom. She heard growling and she willed her legs to go faster. Why were the hallways so long?_

_Suddenly, her parents' bedroom door opened and her father fell backwards, her mother hugged against his chest._

"_Dad!" She cried again. She froze when she saw the pistol in his hand, aimed at the inside of the room. The trigger was pulled twice and she heard wailing._

"_Lucy!" Her father whispered and her mother sobbed, brown eyes glistening._

"_RUN LUCY!" She screamed. She started convulsing and drops of blood ran down her face like tears. _

"_Dad. Please." Lucy whimpered._

"_Go with Virgo to the roof. She and Capricorn will help you. I love you more than words can say." Her father said, apologizing with his eyes._

_He slowly lifted his hand to show Lucy the bite mark. "Forgive my Layla."_

"_NO!" Lucy cried as her father also started shaking. How could it be? All the people she loved… gone ... like ashes._

_She felt it in her heart when they died and started transforming. She couldn't move again, but not out of fear. She just had no reason to. She watched as her parents' eyes liquified and they turned to her, shaking with sobs. _

_She played the last scene over and over in her head. _

"_RUN LUCY!"_

"_I love you more than words can say."_

_The words played like a loop in her head._

_The zombified versions of her parents approached her, grunting, and chattering their teeth menacingly. _

_She searched inside her heart for the desire to survive. What was there to live for? Her parents were gone. Her best friend and sister too. But then she thought of Virgo and Capricorn, loyal servants of the Heartfilia household. They had raised her and she knew that they were family. The small ember of hope ignited as Lucy swung her knife in front of her, killing the zombies in front of her._

_The blood spewed everywhere, coating her face and clothes, but she didn't care. She wiped her face with her sleeve and willed the tears to stop flowing, unsteadily walked to the discarded gun and pocketed it. They wouldn't stop. Disgusted at herself for what she had just done, she vomited, the stench overwhelming her nostrils. _

_Virgo came down the stairs, still human. _

"_Lucy? Lucy! We gotta go!"_

_She saw the dead bodies on the floor and wept silently._

"_Oh Lucy." She ran forward and embraced the sobbing girl. "Why don't we go?"_

"_My humblest apologies, Mistress and Master Heartfilia."_

* * *

Natsu was silent for the majority of the story.

"That must have been tough."

Lucy wiped away a tear that had escaped. "Yeah. But, it eventually got better."

"Ya know what Luce?"

"What?"

"You're really strong," Natsu said.

"Thank you, Natsu."

Natsu tried to ignore how his heart fluttered at the way she had said his name. But could he really?

No less than 15 minutes later, they'd arrived at the resort. Lucy carried Wendy on her back while Natsu woke up Gray, ordering him to wake up Erza. There was no way Natsu was gonna risk his life.

Erza didn't hurt Gray too badly when she woke up and was mildly embarrassed when Natsu mentioned she had snored.

Together, they made their way to the hotel making sure that they were alert and ready. It was dark and any remaining zombies were bound to be active.

It was rather nerve-wracking as they waited for something… anything to pop out and attack them. But.. nothing was there. Lucy hated the anxiety building up in her stomach and held on to Natsu's hand.

Wendy curled her arms around Lucy even tighter, still sleeping.

The elevator was busted, so they reluctantly took the stairs, trying to pretend that there weren't any blood stains on the carpet. The imagined that there was no smell of dead bodies or dead pets. It was a ghastly scene for sure.

Wendy finally woke up once they had reached the second floor and shyly offered to walk for herself. Lucy set her down, a little thankful to have a lighter load to carry.

Gray attempted to make small talk, but no one was in the mood. It was when they finished searching the 6 story hotel that they accepted that they had officially cleared quadrant 4.

"Good work, guys," Lucy said, exhausted. They took a break to eat food after Wendy almost fainted from hunger.

"I betcha Master's gonna be shocked." Natsu gloated. "I'll betcha we were faster than the Thunder Legion on their first mission."

Erza chuckled. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Natsu."

"But Erza… If it is?" Gray said.

"Then we can brag. But not before we know for sure." Erza said.

"Then let's go!" Natsu cried, jumping up.

"One second," Lucy said. "I just want to check a room."

"Why? Erza asked.

"My family had bought a room here. I just wanted to see if perhaps I can find any old belongings." Lucy said.

"Bought a room? As in owned it?" Gray said, shocked.

Lucy nodded.

"You must have been loaded."

Erza was about to scold Gray for being rude, but Natsu beat her to it.

"It doesn't matter if she was 'loaded' or not and really, it's none of your business."

Wendy was surprised by Natsu's outburst.

His eyes dared Gray to challenge him. Wendy was glad Gray had the common sense to back down because she knew what Natsu was like when he was like this. Dangerous.

"I'm just gonna go," Lucy said, escaping the awkward silence in the room.

"I'll come with you," Natsu said, not giving her a choice. "Which room?"

"213."

They made their way down to the second floor and looked for the room. Once there, Lucy reached into her shirt and pulled out her necklace. It held a lot of keys. She unhooked one and opened the door.

"Hello?" She called. There was silence. Natsu and Lucy crept in the room, using a flashlight for guidance.

They relaxed when they had swept the whole room and found nothing threatening.

Lucy raced to the table, where a picture of her parents on their wedding day. Without warning, she smashed it. Glass fell off the table in shards.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, wary.

"Yup. I found what I was looking for." Lucy said. She held up another key and hooked it to her necklace.

She then proceeds to grab a piece of paper and pen, drawing the tattoo she had seen on Wendy's arm.

"That's the fairy tail symbol! Why are you drawing it?"

"If anyone from my former party survived somehow, they'll come here sooner or later. I just want to let them know where I am."

Natsu nodded, knowing what it was like to not know where your loved ones were. He followed Lucy as they returned to the group to head back.

"Ready when you guys are," Erza said, getting up. They walked to the car truck and all hoped in as Gray began the long drive home. It was decided that Lucy and Natsu would sleep since they hadn't gotten any on the ride there.

"Just don't bust my ride, Streaker," Natsu said, yawning. He then clambered into the backseat, laying his body across Lucy's lap. Lucy subconsciously started to play with his hair as she drowsed off.

It seemed like two minutes had passed when Gray was shaking them awake. Natsu was confused to why Erza was pinning his arms and legs down.

"The hell?"

"You attacked Gray in your sleep. It was rather cute."

"Cute?" A vein bulged.

"Yeah, cute. It was like you were protecting Lucy." Erza said. Now that Natsu was more awake, he vaguely remembered dreaming of Gray trying to steal his Lucy away. Wait… when had she become his? Nonononono. Now was NOT the time for romance.

"Yeah right. I probably thought you were too ugly."

"Oi!"

"Wuzgoinon?" Lucy said, still half asleep.

"Natsu attacked Gray in his sleep and Jellal is yelling at us to hurry up so he can get back to sleep. We need to get checked by processors to make sure we aren't infected or anything." Wendy said, feeling as exhausted as Lucy sounded.

"Mmm," Lucy replied, already following back asleep, so Natsu simply carried her on his back. Lucy snuggled deeper into his neck, her breath tickling him. "Alright, let's go, Luce." He said.

He carried her to the processing room where a sleepy Mirajane was waiting.

"Oh dear! It looks like Lucy overworked herself." Mirajane exclaimed, waking up. "Set her down over there!"

Natsu complied and awaited further instructions.

"I'm sure Lucy would like some privacy," Mira said pointedly.

Natsu flushed and turned around to leave when Lucy grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"Please. Don't go."

Mirajane nodded at Natsu who stayed by Lucy's side. There was nothing much to it really. Natsu turned away as Mirajane undressed Lucy to make sure there weren't any bite marks or new cuts.

When she was finished, she dressed Lucy in new clothes and let Natsu turn around again. This time it was his turn. He didn't mind if it was Mirajane processing him. She was a kind girl.

When he was done, she handed him the gauntlet.

"This probably saved her life." She said.

Natsu examined it. There was a bite mark. But when?

"You might want to take her to your mom tomorrow morning."

Natsu nodded. "I'll tell Wendy to take her."

Mirajane shook her head. "It's better if you do it. You're the only one who can carry her."

"But I won't know when she wakes up."

"Just sleep with her. From what I've heard, you had no problem with it last night.

"Eh? OH NO! It's not what you think. I just fell asleep. Nothing else. Damn it Levy." Natsu flushed.

Mirajane giggled as Natsu repositioned Lucy on his back and made the trek to her room. It was 6 AM, 25 hours since they had woken up.

When he entered, his sister was already snoring away on her bed. It seemed that Erza had gone to stay with Jellal for the night, but she had left a note with a message from Gramps.

_Master says you can sleep in tomorrow. We have the next two days off._

Natsu smiled as he lay Lucy on her bed. He was happy that Mirajane had changed her into pajamas. It saved him a lot of energy which let him go straight to bed as he snuggled next to Lucy.

* * *

**Awwww... *breathes deeply* Okay, so thanks everyone! The Plot has BEGUN and y'all are about to be shocked by Laxus!**

**Responses:**

**Ushindeshi: Yeah I know, but it's important that Lucy gets a backstory, no matter how sad. **


	13. Its closing in all around

**Chapter 13: Its closing in all around**

Lucy didn't want to wake up. She was quite warm and comfortable the way she was, snuggled underneath the blankets, as if she was being cuddled by a dog. In fact, she decided to move closer, squeezing the figure next to her with her arms.

The first thing that tipped her off was the fact that it moved. Then, she realized that it was rather smooth, yet hard, but not like a wall. More like… muscle?

"The hell?" she mumbled.

Natsu was snoring softly, enjoying his dream. He was hunting with his father, Igneel and they had spotted a deer. As he positioned for his shot, he saw the doe's eyes, which were big and brown. Suddenly, the deer transformed into Lucy.

"Luce?"

The girl in front of him giggled and started to run away. Natsu chased after her, but then tripped and fell. He clenched the ground in frustration as it seemed to swallow him up, tightening its grip on him.

Both set of eyes opened instantaneously. After staring at each other for a few seconds, they connected the dots and jumped away from each other, leading to Natsu falling off the bed.

"Ouch." He moaned.

Lucy blushed when she fully registered what she'd done.

"Sorry!" She whispered, aware that Wendy was still sleeping in the bed next to her.

"Yeah right. Ya know, I was sleeping all peacefully until _someone_ decided to push me off the bed." He grumbled.

"Well I was sleeping all peacefully until I realized there was a friggin' pervert sleeping next to me."

"I don't know Luigi… You're the pervert here." Natsu snickered. Lucy took a deep breath to control the anger rising in her stomach.

"It's Lucy." She hissed. "Now get out before I Lucy kick you all the way to Sector 1."

She raised her foot for emphasis and Natsu flinched.

"WAIT!" he half-yelled, half-whispered. "Now, let's not be so drastic."

Lucy's eyes didn't relent.

"I just need to tell you something." Natsu pleaded. It was like he was talking to an wild animal.

"Then talk."

"Mirajane just told us that we had to see my mom as soon as we got up. She told me to sleep here, so I'm sorry." He bowed his head in apology as he waited for the kick to come.

"Oh, okay then." She said, already getting out some clothes for today.

...Damn mood swings.

Once Lucy got dressed, they stopped at Natsu's room (which was pretty close) so he could get a change of clothes, but it didn't take too much time and they were soon on their way to visit Grandeeney.

"Oh hello dear!" Grandeeney chirped when she saw Lucy, putting aside whatever she was writing.

"Hello Mrs. Dragneel," Lucy chirped back.

"I'm assuming you are here to get checked up on?"

Lucy nodded.

"I must say I was impressed. Makarov said that he'd never seen a clearing mission done so fast!"

"Thank you."

"Now come over here dear so I can check your cuts."

Natsu knew the game his mother was playing and he stood there during their little conversation mocking her.

But when Grandeeney had only complemented Lucy on the mission, he accidentally shouted in indignation.

Grandeeney laughed. "I'm proud of you too Natsu, though don't let it go to your head. Your ego is already bigger than your father's."

Natsu turned his head away from his mother and humphed, which caused his mother to ruffle his hair and Lucy to giggle at his antics.

He swatted his mother's hand away in a playful manner and glared at Lucy, who was now in hysterics.

"Alright dear, now let's see those ribs," Grandeeney said. Lucy lifted her shirt up, showing her the now fading bruise.

"It's getting better, but you overexerted yourself didn't you."

Lucy sheepishly nodded.

"Rest dear. It's the only way to recover."

Wait… Lucy hadn't been at her best and still completed the mission? She sure was something, but what, Natsu didn't know.

Next, his mother checked over all scrapes and cuts. It was nothing too bad, though the one on her arm still looked bad.

"Where's the gauntlet?" She asked, concerned.

Natsu reached into his pocket. "Here. It fell off when Luce was being checked over last night."

His mother took the leather gauntlet and gasped when she saw the bite marks.

"Are these bite marks?" She asked, astonished and worried. "What happened out there?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah Luce, what happened out there?" Natsu asked, also placing his hands on his own hips, mirroring his mother. He even got the tilt in the head right.

Grandeeney whacked her son's head in annoyance. "Shut it." Natsu quietly shlumped **(Grammarly says it ain't a word, but it totally is)** over to the side, clutching his heart in mock pain.

She sighed and shook her head before turning back to Lucy, muttering about how childish he was.

"Well?"

Lucy shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it was in that house Natsu blew up…"

"BLEW UP?"

"Yeah, uh, well we had to blow it up because there was an absurd amount of zombies there and we were overwhelmed. Well, they were kinda concentrated on the second floor, which is where I was, so I was about to swing my axe when the zombie bit my arm. Fortunately, they only got gauntlet? Anyway, Wendy w-"

Grandeeney turned to her son.

"You blew up a house? I thought we talked about this."

Natsu scratched his head. "We had no choice."

"First it was the chemistry lab. You blew it up THREE TIMES! Now it's random houses. Just because it's the apocalypse right now, doesn't mean that you can blow things up willy nilly! Show some control, you pyromaniac."

Once Grandeeney finished her lecture, she ordered her son to switch places with Lucy, who was secretly happy that Grandeeney hadn't given her a lecture on safety in the field.

Natsu grumbled and mumbled complaints as his mom prodded at him.

She huffed when he came out okay, just a rather deep cut on his leg, which she bandaged up in no time. She gave them orders to rest and eat before going back to her work.

Natsu wasn't done complaining and gave Lucy and earful on their way to the former cafeteria.

"I mean, she doesn't even acknowledge me when we entered and then she spends five minutes yelling at me for blowing up a house. You do it too! It's just not fair, especially when she completely ignored the fact that you were bitten, which we _will_ talk about with the team."

Lucy sighed. So she hadn't escaped her punishment. It was weird having people who still cared about her.

"Yeah yeah." She mumbled, getting in line for food. Mirajane smiled at her as she served her food.

Natsu had gotten bored and decided to rest his chin on her head.

Mira winked at Lucy before giving Natsu his food and Lucy blushed a little.

"Lushi… play with me."

Lucy was caught off guard, her mind filling with all the possible meanings that statement had.

"M-maybe later." She mumbled before sitting down at an empty table. Natsu sat down across her.

"So... " He said after taking a bite. "How do ya like Fairy Tail?"

Lucy shrugged. "It's alright. I mean there's this one really annoying guy that keeps on bothering me."

Natsu was clueless. "Who? I'll make them stop." Lucy sweatdropped.

"I don't know if you can… Besides, I don't know his name." Lucy said.

"Then describe him to me."

"Is you say so… Well, he's a runner. He tends to sneak into my room quite often and sleeps in my bed." She paused to watch Natsu's face. He was taking it all in.

"Go on…"

"I know his little sister. She's very nice. But he just gets on my nerves."

"What about some physical attributes?" Natsu prompted.

"Well, he's about 5'10 and he has these dark green eyes. Almost black. He also has pink hair."

"Pink hair, green eyes, 5'10? Wait a second… NOT FUNNY!"

A chuckle came from another table.

"So he's dumber than I thought."

It was Gajeel.

"Take that back Metal Mouth!" Natsu shouted.

"Nah. You just proved it. No wonder why you're single." ...Did Gajeel just wink?

"Oh yeah? You're one to talk."

Gajeel snorted. "I have a girlfriend doofus."

"Don't you mean imaginary?"

"Does Levy McGarden look imaginary to you?"

"WHAT? WHEN?" Heh. It was Lucy who yelled this time.

"Last night while you were blowing up houses."

So word spread around quickly…

"Fine, I'll give it to you. You got a girlfriend first, but I bet I'll get my first kiss before you!"

Gajeel laughed. "And who would ever want to kiss you? Besides, I already got it moron. What do you think couples do?"

"Yeah, well I'm shocked," Natsu retorted. "Why would Levy kiss you if you're so ugly that it makes me want to vomit?"

Gajeel got up, growling. "You wanna say that again, pyro?"

Natsu gave a shit-eating grin and laughed. "Bring it on!"

Lucy sighed and leaned to whisper something to Natsu. "Natsu! Come on! Its our day off! Can we not spend it fighting?"

Natsu turned his head, and their lips got smushed together.

Lucy's eyes widened and she flushed as she stumbled back in shock.

"Shit," Someone whispered as Lucy bolted. Where? She didn't know, but as long as it was away from Natsu it was okay.

"Wait Luce!"

"Give it up, she's gone by now. Looks like you blew it,"

Natsu glared at the person who had commented and cracked his knuckles ominously.

* * *

She had chosen the library, a place that Natsu seemed to stay away from.

Lucy hid in a corner and sat, deep in thought. She replayed the kiss in her head. It was nothing much, just a quick peck on the lips, but why did this bother her so much?

Was it because it was her first kiss? No.

Was it because of the way Natsu's lips felt? Nope. They were soft, not chapped like hers.

Was it because she like-liked him? Yes.

Wait what?

Lucy groaned and slid against the wall as she cursed herself. She had fallen for that idiot.

"Damn it."

"Yo Luce! Are you in here?" An unwanted voice called out. "I need to tell you something."

* * *

***Immese screeching and odd fangirling* Natsu and Lucy sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes LOVE then comes MARRIAGE then comes a cute baby Nashi in a baby carriage! After the 2 month anniversary, this story will be on hiatus until the 17th due to a horrible thing called finals and my bio teacher had the** _**Brilliant**_** idea to include an entire year worth of information that I have forgotten already. **

**Responses:**

**Ushindeshi: Yup, well... the end of the first part. But I'll save the rest of the pain for another time. But it looks like we have a little block and epiphany.**

**suzaanoelofse01: Yeah, well we all need a bit of normal when there's craziness. So glad you love the story!**


	14. The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants

**Chapter 14: The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants**

_Lucy groaned and slid against the wall as she cursed herself. She had fallen for that idiot._

"_Damn it."_

"_Yo Luce! Are you in here?" An unwanted voice called out. "I need to tell you something."_

Lucy wanted to stay quiet and hidden in her own little corner, away from this cruel reality that was destroying her sanity. How could she have been so stupid to fall for someone as dense and idiotic as Natsu? Now was NOT the time to fall in love.

Yet, the universe had once again conspired against her and Natsu had found her sitting in said corner. In panic, she pretended to be asleep. She silently cursed when she realized she could've pretended to be reading the book on her lap.

Unbeknownst to her, Natsu smiled sweetly at the scene in front of him. Lucy looked so peaceful just sitting there, sleeping. He couldn't help but comment.

"Beautiful." He muttered. But, Lucy didn't hear it. Though, she did feel him wrap his arms around her and lift her to bring her back to her room. She unconsciously snuggled against his warm embrace as she actually did fall asleep to the steady pace of his heartbeat.

When he reached her room, he greeted the others already there. Erza and Wendy were a little cold to him, but Gray was nicer.

He gently set Lucy down on her bed before trying to wake her up. She groggily opened her eyes.

"Whatdoyouwant?" She murmured, trying to snuggle closer in her blankets. She hadn't realized how tired she was.

"We need to talk." Natsu prompted. "About the gauntlet."

Lucy groaned. "I don't wanna."

"But it's important." Natsu said. "Pleaaasseee!"

"Later."

"I'll give you my dessert tonight."

Lucy gave him a look.

"..."

"And Gray's tomorrow."

"Deal."

"Wait what? I didn't agree to that!" Gray shouted in protest.

Natsu handed her the piece of leather that had saved her life, yet it was about to make it harder at the same time.

"So what is so important about the gauntlet?" Gray asked, upset that his dessert had been stolen from him.

Lucy sighed as she got into storytelling mode. Curse her stupid heart.

She told them about the damned house that was really getting on her nerves and described what happened right before Wendy had shot the zombie.

Wendy was a little shocked by what had actually happened and blushed at the praise Erza gave her.

Then Natsu filled them in on how _he_ found out, much to Lucy's dissatisfaction.

But then Gray had to speak up. It was revenge for his dessert. "So when were you planning on telling us this?"

Lucy shifted nervously. She mumbled her answer to which Natsu chuckled at.

"Speak up, Luce. They don't have hearing that even compares to mine."

Lucy shot him another look that would have sent him to his grave. Oh she was so gonna kill him when this was over.

Luckily enough for her, Gray and Erza whacked him for her while Wendy kicked him in the shins.

"Oi! That hurt!"

But, that didn't distract them as they waited no so patiently for her answer.

"Never."

This caused an uproar.

"NEVER?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEVER?"

"I mean that I wasn't gonna tell you until _somebody_ decided to rat me out."

Erza and Gray sighed as they explained some new rules to Lucy.

"For now on, if anyone gets bit and is lucky enough to survive, you tell us right away. No trying to hide it." Gray said.

"Failure to do so leads to losing the privilege of dessert," Erza added, sensing that it was a touchy topic for them.

Lucy nodded, but she wants revenge. "Fair. But I wanna add a rule."

Erza nodded, ignoring the bad feeling in her stomach.

Lucy smirked. "All romantic relationships must be disclosed to all teammates." She had Erza trapped.

Erza blushed a little before hesitantly agreeing, not sensing the dangerous aura surrounding Lucy.

Natsu stared at Lucy in admiration. She had just pulled a boss move that would turn the tables from now on forward.

"Well Natsu, wanna start first?" Wendy asked.

Natsu sent a death glare at his traitorous sister.

"I'm single." He said. "By choice." Gray had murmured something to Lucy about him being too ugly.

Gray smirked as he voiced his own idea. "Why don't we amend that to include secret crushes as well, right Flame Brains?"

Natsu wished Gray a thousands deaths as he nodded slowly.

"You still have the mike Natsu." Erza said as the mischievous spark in her eyes glowed extra bright.

"Well… I, uh, like this girl." He said. "Your turn Luce."

"Well, before the apocalypse, I was engaged to this dude named Dan Straight. Nasty guy. I think he turned, so I guess that means my fiance is a zombie?" Lucy said as the others let their jaws drop dangerously low to the ground.

"How old are you?" Gray asked incredulously.

"Yeah. You don't look too old." Natsu added.

"I'm 19. I'll be turning 20 in July." Lucy admitted.

"So she is the same age as us," Erza muttered.

"That means you were engaged at 16?" Wendy cried. "That's horrible! Why would you do that?"

Lucy shrugged. "It was my father's decision."

"I'd say that the engagement is null and void now," Erza spoke.

"If that's the case, then I'm single. Your turn Erza." Lucy sighed in relief as they forgot to ask about her crush.

"I'm dating Jellal." She said in defeat, a blush evident on her cheeks. "Though, you don't seem too surprised."

"Well, it was kinda obvious," Wendy said, referencing to the not-so-secret cuddles they had when they met as a group.

Erza's blush deepened and she motioned for them to continue.

"I really haven't thought too much about it yet." Wendy said. "I guess maybe there's this guy, but I'm too young really."

"Damn straight you are," Natsu growled as Lucy hummed in agreement. "Any guy that lays his eyes on you will be beaten to a pulp by all of us."

"...sure. It's gra- gahhh! Your pants!" Wendy cried. Lucy immediately covered the girl's eyes as Natsu growled menacingly at Gray.

"Are you making a move on my sister?"

"Nonono! I swear! It just happened!" Gray said, struggling to find pants, which Erza handed to him.

"Excuses excuses." Natsu mocked. "Well go. It's your turn."

Gray actually blushed as he admitted his relationship with Juvia.

"Stalker girl?" Natsu asked in shock. "Figures. No other girl would ever hook up with him."

"Stalker girl?" Lucy and Wendy asked.

"About a year ago, I saved Juvia when she was still part of Phantom Lord (another base). She kinda fell in love for me and even joined Fairy Tail just to be with me. I guess I realized I liked her too a couple of months ago and we started dating. End of story."

Lucy smiled at the blush that dominated Gray's face.

"Awww. It's almost too cute!" She teased. Natsu burst out laughing.

Gray humphed and was about to retort back when a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Yes?" Lucy called. The door opened slowly.

"Oh hello Mirajane!" Lucy said, but was quiet after seeing the look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" Wendy said.

Mirajane slowly walked into the room. Everyone sent each other questioning looks, but were startled when Mira collapsed and burst into tears.

"It's Laxus! He's missing."

"They're dating," Natsu whispered and Lucy nodded, her confusion resolved.

"What happened?" Natsu asked gently.

"He and the Thunder Legion were supposed to be visiting quadrant 6 of Sector 1 and… and… they came back all bruised and beaten. Only, Laxus wasn't with them."

"What were they doing in sector 1? That place is supposed to be untouchable!" Gray asked.

"I don't know. He wouldn't say. He wouldn't tell me anything else."

Lucy lead Mirajane to her bed and sat her down, rubbing her hand in small circles to sooth her.

"Is there anything else that might help us?"

"Help you?" Mirajane furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah! Help us find Laxus." Lucy said warmly. Her team was mildly surprised at her statement, but then again… They were Fairy Tail.

Mirajane squeezed Lucy in a death hug. "Thank you." She whispered.

"No problem. Now I need to know everything you know about their mission." Lucy said walking over to take out an old journal. She flipped to a blank page and looked at Mirajane patiently.

"Well… they went to Q6, so it's really far away. Maybe 20-30 miles? I don't know."

Lucy smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Did you see them leave?"

"Yeah. I always watch Laxus leave."

"Good. good. I need a date, time, and please try to list what he brought with him."

Mirajane nodded. "It was last Thursday, so June 18th? Yeah. As for weapons… oh yeah! He brought his hammer and taser. The rest of them had their usual weapons, but they also had this weird gun thing."

Lucy wrote everything down. "How long were they supposed to be out for?"

"2 weeks."

"Thank you Mirajane. We'll leave as soon as possible." Lucy assured the sobbing girl who nodded.

"I'll go make some food."

"You don't have to." Erza said.

"Yes I do. It's the only way I can repay you."

They all wished Mirajane well and assured her that they'd bring Laxus back alive before discussing a plan.

"Gramps said that the zombie to square foot ratio in Sector 1 was like 6:1. From what I've heard, it's like a can of hostile sardines that want to bite you." Natsu said in reply to a question Lucy asked.

She flipped through her notebook until she found what she was looking for.

"Here we go. I called this the Flush and Burn technique. Since Q6 is about 77 square miles, we need to rig up approximately 22 explosions, 11 in one area, and 11 in the other. We're gonna need at least 6 people though. Any idea who'd be up for it?"

Erza and gray discussed possible candidates while Natsu, Wendy and Lucy worked on their plan.

"What if we have 20 explosions, but in 4 different places," Wendy proposed. "That way we save time and resources."

"That's a good idea, but we'll need more people then. 12 I think." Lucy said. "Because it takes 3 people to set it up."

"Good. But this method is a little iffy. What if we set a zombie on fire to draw the first hoard in?" Natsu asked.

Lucy nodded and tweaked her notes.

"Alright then. Erza, can I see that list?" She called.

When she was handed the list, she asked Wendy and Natsu for a background on each person.

"Elfman?"

"Mirajane's younger brother. He's a decent fighter, but really strong. You could use him for set up."

"I know Jellal and Gajeel, but who's Gildarts?"

Natsu answered this one. "Only the strongest runner in the entire base. He's Cana's dad, but he used to be this really famous athlete. I think he's back right now from his last mission."

"Good. Cana's on the list too and so is Juvia. But we still need another person."

"I'll do it." A voice said. It was Mirajane.

"Mirajane?"

"I know Laxus best and I used to be a runner. There's no one more qualified." She said.

Lucy wanted to object, but Natsu said yes.

"Welcome to the team!" Wendy said before leaving with Erza to gather the remaining potential group members.

When they came back, they had everyone in tow.

"Sit." Erza ordered. They all sat in a circle on Lucy's floor.

_Is it me or is it getting crowded in here?_ Lucy thought to herself.

"Why are we here?" Gajeel complained. He had been about to take a nap when the scarlet haired witch kidnap him. Not that he would ever say that out loud and face her wrath.

"Yeah, I was trying to get some sleep ya know." Cana groaned, clutching her head in pain. More people joined into the complaining and it was absolute chaos.

Erza cleared her throat. "Listen up guys."

Everyone subsequently shut up.

"We have a crisis on our hands. One of our own has gone missing." Cue the groans.

"Who is it this time?" Elfman moaned, thinking that this was a waste of time.

"Laxus."

Everyone gasped. Laxus was probably the second best runner (after Gildarts). He was the last person they expected to go missing.

"What?! That's practically impossible! What about the rest of the Thunder Legion?" Gajeel scoffed.

"Out cold in the infirmary." Mirajane whispered. Gajeel's eyes softened when he saw the pain in her eyes.

"Juvia is in." A voice said. Lucy saw a beautiful girl with blue hair speak up. Thrown off by the use of the third person, it took Lucy a couple seconds to place a name to a face. "For Gray-sama's sake."

Lucy nodded and put a checkmark next to her name.

"Hold on. Let's not rush to join. Do you guys even have a plan?" Gildarts said.

Lucy nodded and motioned for Natsu to explain.

"So we're gonna have a mass explosion to wipe out the zombies?" Gildarts said. "No surprise that's what you guys came up with."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu protested.

"Well, a pyromaniac deciding to blow up things? It kinda makes sense."

"But I didn't come up with the plan!" Natsu whined. "It was all Luce's idea. She has like a whole book of cool plans."

Lucy blushed at both the new attention and Natsu's nickname for her. She hadn't noticed the change from Lucy to Luce.

Gildarts and Cana squinted their eyes at Lucy and then turned to Natsu. After repeating this for a few times, the shook their heads.

"No way. Lucy is a sweet and pretty girl. Natsu is a pyro." Gildarts said.

"Once more comment and I won't be as sweet," Lucy said, following the his gaze to somewhere he was not supposed to be staring. Her evil aura was more noticeable now.

"Gah! Erza jr.!" He cried and hid behind his daughter.

"So are you guys in or not?" Gray asked, exasperated. They were wasting time.

"I'm in." Gajeel said.

"Me too. Anything for my sister. And I'm a REAL MAN." Elfman agreed.

One by one, each one joined until GIldarts was left.

"Well…"

Lucy, Cana and Erza glared at him.

"Fine. I'm in. Just don't put me with Lucy. Please."

"No worries. I've already figured out the teams." Lucy said, smiling. **(Cue the S-Class Trial Music) **

"Juvia, Gray, and Gajeel."

Juvia squealed with joy.

"Erza, Jellal, and Gildarts."

Gildarts' soul left his body when Erza glared at him.

"Elfman, Mirajane, and Cana."

"MANLY!"

"Which leaves, Natsu, Wendy and I." Lucy said and Cana gave her a suggestive wink.

"When do we leave?" Cana asked.

The door swung open.

"Now." A new voice said, which caused everyone to scream. They were in big trouble.

**Chapter 14.5:** Let the Games Begin!

Lucy couldn't deny her surprise when her friends roped her into a game of tag. At first it seemed so… innocent. After all, when she was little she read stories of best friends chasing each other around a park and laughing. But of course, that wasn't how this went. It all started with Levy, one of her best friends and vice-president of the NaLu club.

"Hey Lu-chan!" Levy shouted out to her friend who was peacefully reading in one of the quiet corners of the library. Upon hearing her name, Lucy perked her head up and set her book down.

"Hey Levy-chan! I haven't seen you in a couple days. What have been up to?"

"Nothing much. Makarov has kept me busy with chores and stuff."

"Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah, but it's the most I can do. Anyway, I was wondering if you were up for a little game of tag?"

Lucy wasn't sure about the faint evil glint in Levy's eyes, but ignored her instinct and said yes. She guessed that was all Levy needed and found herself being dragged at lightning speed out of the library. Levy seemed to know where she was going, but Lucy was totally lost. The last (and only) time she'd seen this part of the school was when she had gotten lost looking for Natsu. She had no idea where she was.

"Hey Levy? Where are we going?"

"Oh, we're meeting up in Natsu and Gray's room. Though… I suppose I should just call it Gray's room since Natsu already practically lives in your room anyway."

"Eh!?" Lucy sputted, a flush coating her cheeks. Was it too late to turn back? She heard someone chuckle and she hoped they were there to save her from was she suspected was an interrogation on her feelings for Natsu.

"I think you're right Levy! I'm sure I'll come in to find all of Natsu's crap packed up and ready to be moved any day now."

Lucy groaned. She had spoken too soon. Gray could be just as bad as Levy sometimes.

"Oh shut it Ice Dick," A voice yelled from one of the many former-classrooms in that hall. "Wait… whose room would I even move into?"

Gray sighed and pinched his nose with his fingers in fake annoyance. "Lucy's room, you dumb ass."

"Oooo. She's a much better roommate than you anyway, so I wouldn't mind." Natsu yelled. Lucy squeaked and the flush deepened.

"Well, you can ask for permission in a few seconds. We're like 14 feet away."

There was silence. And then Natsu spoke again.

"She's with you isn't she?" This time he sounded sheepish.

"Yup and about to see what a pig you are." Gray snickered.

Lucy and Levy could hear some things being knocked over in what they assumed to be his rush to spruce things up a bit. By this time Gajeel had joined them and Lucy could have sworn she saw Levy blush at the sight of him.

"Yo Shrimp! Bunny girl… don't tell me Salamander's tryin' to clean up again…"

When Gajeel heard a 'yes' from everyone, he swore. "Somebody stop him before he destroys the whole room."

Lucy looked at Gray, who was clutching his stomach as he died from laughter. No help from him. She turned right to look at Levy only to find her bickering with Gajeel. While her suspicions were confirmed, she was left with babysitting duty.

She knocked on the door.

"Come in, Luce," Natsu called in a stained voice. Lucy opened the door and opened her mouth to ask him a question.

"I knew it was you because you're the only one who would ever have the decency to knock." He explained. Yet, it didn't explain his precarious position as he balanced so dangerously on top of a bookcase with a rather heavy box in his hands.

"Um… great… Need help?" Lucy asked.

"Nope, I got it," Natsu groaned as he heaved the box onto the top shelf of what appeared to be a closet three feet away. On the final shove, he leaned too far forwards and his foot slipped. Lucy didn't even realize she moved until she found herself directly beneath him as he hit her.

At the sound of the commotion, the three straggler, joined by three more friends, rushed in.

Gray was first, much to their dismay, and froze when he saw their position. Natsu was literally on top of Lucy, who could only lay there helplessly.

"Wow man. That was quick."

Natsu's face burned, which was a new sight for most of the people crowding in the room, as he quickly jumped off Lucy.

"...sorry," He mumbled to Lucy, who was now equally flushed.

"No problem. Let's just get the game started." She said.

"Wh-" Gajeel had been elbowed by Levy, who grinned scarily.

"We're all playing tag, remember?"

"Aye!"

[time skip]

They had split into 4 teams of two, which was only possibly because of the three previously mentioned friends who joined in on the fun.

1- Team Gray-sama: Juvia and Gray

2- Team Strawberry: Jellal and Erza

3- Team Shrimp: Gajeel and Levy

4- Team NaLu: Natsu and Lucy

As you can see, Team NaLu had no actual say in what their team name was and had to accept defeat. They consoled in the fact that Team Strawberry was it first.

Now, normal tag played by normal people was pretty simple: there's a team that's it, and they have to tag the other players. The first team to be tagged is the next "it" team. But Lucy forgot that her friends weren't exactly what one would call normal, which she remembered in the middle of being chased by Erza, who was wielding a sheathed (thank god) katana, though getting hit would still hurt.

Somehow, the rules of tag had been lost on these hooligans and they had created something much, much more dangerous. If Lucy had to guess, it was more like a cross between fencing, tag, and capture the flag.

Each team was allowed a sheathed sword, hence the fencing reference. They had to capture the other team's swords by tagging each team member with their own sword. It was definitely easier said than done.

Now back to being chased by Erza… it was pure hell. Erza wanted to win, as she always did, and no amount of training could protect Lucy when Erza swung. Hard. Natsu was nowhere to be seen though, giving Lucy some hope that her team wouldn't be it.

"I'm sure Jellal is after Natsu right now. Oh, and Lucy?" Erza said as she was about to turn and walk away.

"Yeah?"

"You can head to Natsu's room. Once I get everyone out, we'll regroup and pick the next 'it' person."

Lucy nodded and began her solemn and swordless walk of shame back to the room where she sat for about 5 more minutes before being joined by Juvia and Natsu. Another 10 brought the company of Gajeel, and finally Gray who had actually been hiding in that room was outed by Jellal.

"Lucy, pick a number from 1-4." Erza ordered.

"Uh..., 3?"

"Alright. Team Shrimp is 'it'. Good luck."

"Geehee."

This time, Natsu and Lucy coordinated on a plan that was simple, but effective.

Natsu would act as bait for Gajeel while Lucy stealthily stole his sword, which she had just found out was how the taggers lost.

Now, it would have worked if Natsu had not had the brilliant idea of doing a backflip. His foot slipped on the landing and he fell flat on his ass as Gajeel swung the sword.

Acting on instinct, Lucy jumped from her hiding spot and swung the katana down low. Now, she wasn't very experienced with this weapon, but she would have to adapt.

Somehow, by some sort of miracle, Gajeel stumbled to his left mostly out of surprise. He saw Lucy and sneered as she squared up, holding her sword out in front of her like she'd seen Erza do. He could tell she had little in this type of weapon with her hunched shoulders and awkward loom on her face.

He made the first move and feinted left before attacking to the right. Lucy caught on at the last second and did a quick squat, hearing the sound of his katana hitting the wall. She could tell that if it had connected, it would have hurt.

"C'mon, bunny girl. You can do better than that."

Lucy snarled. She was NOT a bunny girl. From her crouched position, she lunged forward and swung up. Gajeel had been expecting her to swing at one of his legs and howled in pain when the katana met its target.

Lucy snickered and swung her right leg out, knocking Gajeel to the ground where Natsu, who was biding his time, swooped in and grabbed his sword.

"Score!" Lucy cheered and held her hand out to high five Natsu, who didn't dare leave her hanging. He concluded that she was almost as dangerous with a katana as Erza.

WIth hope in their hearts, they went to go find Levy, but were too late. Levy had found them and sneaked an attack on them. Her hits were light, but they did their job and forced Natsu and Lucy to hand over their katana, only adding to the ever growing pile in Levy's hand. She was sneaky and obviously well read on strategies. Lucy bet that she would be a great runner if she wanted to.

"Well, you were the last ones. I knew that Gajeel would lose."

"Hey!" A pained voice shouted. "She hit the place and totally cheated."

Lucy smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I wouldn't give your girlfriend any ideas…"

Levy and Lucy shared a smirk before reporting back to Natsu's bedroom, where she immediately flopped on the first bed she saw.

"Scooch over, Luce." Natsu whined and Lucy answered with her pretty much programmed answer.

"Go to your own bed Natsu."

"But this is my bed."

Lucy sighed and rolled over onto her back, giving Natsu room. Natsu eased himself onto the bed, groaning.

"Damn that backflip hurt."

Lucy looked at him, trying to ignore their close proximity.

"Well, it was a stupid idea in the first place, baka."

Gray, who was watching the whole thing with Levy and Juvia, couldn't help but comment.

"Well Lucy, he's your baka, isn't he?"

Levy joined in by making fake kissing noises, only to dodge two shoes heading her way. Gray was less lucky when Lucy's hit him in the face. Now, these were the shoes she wore when she went clearing with the team and the bottoms had touched a little dirt, blood, gore, dead things, and other stuff without being washed.

Gray gagged. "God Lucy. Wash your shoes for once!"

Lucy let out a yelp of indignance. "You watch your mouth. Otherwise, you might find a pile of dog shit under your pillow."

Erza cleared her throat, annoyed. "Lucy, Natsu… you just earned yourself the title of 'it' for slacking off."

Natsu and Lucy shared a look. How could anyone 'slack off' during a game? But, Erza's word was final.

The others set off, a katana is in each player's hand.

To be continued...

* * *

**Happy second Anniversary to ME! and to all of my amazing readers! Hope you enjoyed the extra chapie which will be continued in the next chapter because its getting late and it seemed like a good place to stop. **

Responses:

Ushindeshi: Yeah, its only the realization part for Lucy... I just wanted to include a wee bit more teasing. Hope you like it!

* * *

Poll:

So I was thinking of starting another story and I have a couple of ideas... Vote on your favorite:

\- Pirate AU: Lucy is the pirate and kidnaps Prince Natsu and his guards (Jellal, Gray, and Gajeel)

\- Bodyguard AU: Natsu is sent undercover to protect Lucy Heartfilia when she is threatened. But, she has no idea who he is and thinks he's just an exchange student

\- Couples Retreat: Natsu and Lucy are invited to an island getaway. The catch: its for couples only and they aren't quite their yet. But, they must pretend in order to stay.

\- Summer Camp AU: Lucy's father starts a summer camp to boost business and the whole gang are counselors. All 4 top ships.

Please give me your opinion on what you'd like to see! Ideas and Prompts are ALWAYS welcome


	15. Who Doesn't Love Blowing Things Up?

**Chapter 15: Who Doesn't Love Blowing Things Up?**

"_When do we leave?" Cana asked._

"_Now." A new voice said, which caused everyone to scream. They were in big trouble._

It was Makarov.

"Master!" Erza cried.

"Oh hey, Gramps." Natsu greeted.

"Makarov," Gildarts respectfully acknowledged.

The rest were in too much shock to speak.

_Great. We're busted._ Lucy wailed in her mind.

"What are you brats staring at? Move it!" He said. "You too, Gildarts. Don't think you're not a brat either because you have always been one. Especially when you wen to high school."

Gildarts sent him a glare as they were herded out of the room.

"But, Master," Erza protested. "How did you know what we were planning?"

"Natsu called me down. But did you really think I don't know what's going on in my own base?"

Erza shook her head and let out a laugh. "Leave it to Natsu to be of the most help."

"I have people ready to lend you their cars and Max has already prepared the weapons. Now hurry. I want my grandson back alive."

The group wasted no time in collecting weapons and supplies for their outrageously risky plan.

Natsu took Lucy's car for the very long drive to Sector 1.

"I _still_ can't believe we're going to Sector 1!" Natsu said excitedly, forcing Lucy and Wendy to hear his rant once again.

"I mean, only the TOP runners go here, so I guess that means I'm one of the best."

Wendy sighed, but it was Lucy who reminded Natsu of why they were there.

"This is a rescue mission, Natsu. The top runners who come here are here to hunt and clear, not rescue. Besides, that would also mean that Elfman and Gray are on the same level as you…"

"Yeah, well… there are different levels of best runners." Natsu tried to defend his argument.

"Then I guess Gray is on a higher level." Wendy snickered.

"Not true! I am sooo better than him." Little did Natsu know that Lucy had pressed the on button on her walky-talky.

"_Better than who, Natsu?" _A very pissed off voice said.

Natsu squeaked in surprise and sent Lucy a death glare once he caught on to what she had done.

"The Ice Princess stripper of course. I had a greater kill count on our last mission." He bragged.

"_Oh yeah? And what was it?"_

"99."

A new voice joined in.

"_Liar! You said 97!"_

"Yeah, but I killed two more on the ride home, remember?"

The first voice scoffed. "_97 is child's play. Tell me, how many did the lovely ladies in your group kill?"_

"120." Lucy said proudly.

"162." Erza said.

"_See what I mean? On __**my**_ _last mission, I killed maybe around 200 alone. Maybe more. It was too many to keep count."_

"Wait… Is that you Gildarts?" Natsu cried. The voice chuckled.

"_Spot on! So Lucy, wanna hear some pretty embarrassing stories about Natsu?"_

"Oh yeah!" She giggled. Natsu was getting punished for having such a big ego.

"_So there was this one time when Natsu practically begged me to go on a mission him and…"_

"Alright, that's enough. Lucy, give me the thing."

"The thing? What thing?" She said, innocently.

"The thing in your hand!" He said, forgetting what the cursed object was called.

"Oh! You mean the walky talky?"

"YES," Natsu hissed and held out his hand.

"Hmmm. I don't know… I kinda wanna hear what Gildarts has to say…"

"Lucy," Natsu growled. "Just give me the walky talky."

"_Don't give it to him Lucy! I wanna witness more of the infamous flirting between you two!" _Gildarts teased and Lucy squeaked.

"Here you go Natsu," She said, practically shoving the thing in his hand. He flipped the power button off and tossed it into the back seat.

"Not a word," he warned Wendy, who was barely containing her giggles. He grudgingly focused on driving. They were almost there, but it seemed to take forever as the gravity of the situation sunk in. There was an awkward atmosphere between Lucy and Natsu, who were trying to ignore the whole flirting comment, but failed.

Lucy blamed the stupid kiss because it had caused her to realize her feelings, which were occurring at the wrong place and time. Natsu _had_ looked a little flustered by Gildart's comment, though. Could it be? No. Lucy would not fool herself into thinking that he liked her back. She'd read about his in the books and the only thing it lead to was heartbreak. Still… If he did like her back…

"We're here," Natsu's deep voice intercepted Lucy's thoughts.

Wendy gasped at the view of Sector 1. It was the literal definition of a ghost town. She half expected to hear the squeaking of swings moving, pushed by the wind. Of course, there was also the fact that it was literally packed with zombies.

Mirajane pulled over next to Lucy's side door and Lucy rolled down her window.

"When Freed woke up right before we left, he said that they went down Lighting and Knight road. We should check there before splitting up." She pleaded.

"We'll go. You guys head to your designated areas." Lucy commanded everyone. "Please remember that Natsu and I are leading here. You follow our orders."

"Autobots, roll out!" Natsu cried, cackling in gleeful laughter as the cars drove away.

"Dork," Lucy muttered.

"Meanie," Natsu said back.

_Note to self, Natsu has really good hearing. Keep mean and embarrassing stuff to yourself._ Lucy thought to herself as she stuck out her tongue at the pink-haired boy.

"Less flirting and more moving," Wendy hissed, getting a little fed up at the two.

"Oi! We aren't flirting little sis," Natsu hissed right back.

"Well, if that isn't flirting then I don't know what is."

"Less fighting and more moving," Lucy snickered, successfully getting Natsu to drive again. They cruised through the road Mirajane had pointed out earlier, looking for any signs of Laxus.

They were about to give up when Wendy pointed something out.

"Wait, Lucy? What's that?" She said, pointing to a dark alley.

"What? I can't see anything."

"There's a trash can, but it looks like something is sticking out of it," Wendy said.

"How can you see that? All I see is darkness," Lucy grumbled. "Natsu. Pull over so we can check it out."

Natsu did what he was asked and parked the car. He and Wendy handled this as Lucy radioed in to talk to her fellow teammates.

They slowly crept up to the trash can, guns ready and loaded. Suddenly, they heard a noise.

"Who's there?" Natsu called, his body tensing and his finger twitching. He motioned for Wendy to get behind him, who reluctantly complied.

Of course, the sudden roar caught him off guard. All he saw was a blur of rotting flesh before he pulled his trigger.

_He missed._

The figure kept rushing towards him and he shot again, but two shots were heard that night.

The creature jolted as a bullet hits its chest, and one hit its head.

Wendy silently cheered because it was her bullet that hit the head.

"I think I'm gonna have Luce teach me to aim better when we get back," Natsu grumbled, kicking the dead body aside. He stalked over to the trash can and lifted the lid.

Inside, was a torn black coat with white trim.

He brought it to Lucy, who was talking to Mirajane.

"Mira, can you please describe his jacket?" She asked.

"Um, yeah. It was a black coat, I think it was wool or something and it had a white trim of fur."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! I gave it to him after all." She said, a little offended.

"Sorry, just checking. I think we found it."

"Laxus?"

"His coat."

"Great. Now what?" Mirajane sighed.

"Well, we have a direction to search." She said. Natsu was sending her some hand signals that she had trouble interpreting.

"What?" She hissed.

"Have Gildart and Cana head over to where we were supposed to blow things up. We need to look for Laxus." Natsu hissed back. Oh yeah. Sasstsu was back.

Lucy nodded and shooed him away.

"Mirajane, have Gildarts and Cana-"

"I heard and they're already on their way. Please hurry!" She said.

"Will do. Don't lose hope." Lucy said before turning the radio off.

"Well, Natsu? You're supposed to be the best tracker here, so what do you think happened?" Lucy asked.

"Well, for starters, there's blood on the jacket. From its circular shape, I'd say bullet wound. It definitely wasn't a bite."

Wendy took note of her brother's deductions, committing them to memory for future use.

"What about a stab?" Wendy asked. Natsu cocked his head.

"What makes you say that?"

Wendy carefully felt the jacket where the blood had stained it.

"See, there's a slit instead of a bullet hole." She said, showing where the hole in the jacket opened. "But I don't know the measurements of the cut."

Natsu studied it for a few seconds.

"1 and a quarter inches." he finally said. "It's a standard pocket knife width."

"Any idea who did it?" Lucy asked. If Natsu could tell who, they could find a why and then, hopefully, a where.

"It was self-inflicted," Natsu concluded.

"What?! How can you tell?" Lucy demanded. Who was stupid enough to stab themself in the middle of the ground zero of an apocalypse? They were bound to get infected from just the amount of infected blood in the area.

"Well, you know how zombies are attracted to blood?"

Lucy nodded.

"I'll betcha it was a diversion."

Lucy thought it over for a second. "Actually, that makes sense… So he was being chased and stabbed himself. But… how does that help us?"

"Look at the ground... a few feet from the trash can." Natsu smugly said.

Lucy squinted her eyes, but couldn't see. It was almost pitch black.

Natsu sighed in his lack of patience. "There's drips of blood. Which means, there's probably a trail."

"A trail? But then wouldn't the zombies be able to follow it?" Lucy was shocked.

"Yup, so let's hurry up. Start the car." He said, herding Wendy into the back seat. Natsu decided to jog, following the blood. There were times where he would lose the scent, but pick it up again as he continued. He eventually led his team to a rather tall apartment building.

"Is he in here?" Wendy asked when Lucy parked the car.

"Let's hope so." Lucy said. They had passed maybe 20 or so zombies while driving and Natsu had killed 6. It was creeping her out that they were just there, walking. Well, sooner or later, they would hopefully blow them all up.

Natsu and Lucy weaved through the maze of zombies, shooting, and protecting each other as Wendy did her best to keep up. They worked their way up the floors, this time sticking together. It was a lesson learnt from their last mission.

They were on the third floor when Erza had picked the worst moment to radio in.

"Lucy? Wendy? Natsu! We need the go ahead to commence with the first bomb." She sort of shouted, not realizing that the three were in the midst of a zombie swamp.

Lucy and Natsu didn't even look at each other before shoving the radio in Wendy's hands and nodding to her.

"We'll hold them off." Lucy grunted, dodging an incoming fist from a zombie. Wendy immediately turned down the volume to direct Erza through the process of blowing up their first house.

"Alright, they said yes, but this is a _really_ bad time," Wendy said.

"Is something happening?" Erza asked, concerned. "Have you found Laxus yet?"

"Not yet, but we're kinda in the middle of a fight… Can we do this later?" Wendy insisted.

"I suppose so," Erza said grudgingly. "Please be safe."

"Of course." Wendy hung up and put the volume at zero to avoid any further disturbances.

Natsu and Lucy were back to back, slashing and shooting. Lucy had pulled out her ax and Natsu had his favorite gun.

Wendy decided to start helping out, now that Erza was satisfied. She let out a battle cry as she she ran straight into the hoard of zombies, knife in front of her. She was now slashing with Lucy, both in sync with each Lucy swung down to her right, Wendy covered her left side, twirling to avoid Lucy's blade.

Natsu couldn't help but steal looks at the two in action as he fought his own battle. He had brought out his knife as he danced through the enemies. One tried to punch him, but he caught the fist in his hand. He squeezed his fist, crunching the weak bones that were trapped. It was not that surprising when the zombie couldn't feel the pain, but Natsu didn't care.

He skillfully yanked the creature towards him, driving his knife deeping into the chest while he shot its head. He then used the now dead monster as a shield against the two other zombies running towards him, immediately shooting one in the head as the other bit his dead comrade. Of course, nothing happened except for Natsu swinging his his knife to get the offender in the head. He shoved the bodies off him and swung his knife up. Another zombie was down.

Wendy and Lucy were still gracefully dancing around each zombie, slashing and shooting left and right. Well, graceful until Wendy tripped on her own feet, going down. The zombies wasted no time diving down.

"WENDY!" Lucy cried and Natsu turned to see what was happening. A zombie tackled him to the ground, snarling in his face. He had dropped his weapons and the only things blocking the zombie from biting him was his hands wrapped around its neck. He grimaced as the horrible stench of zombie wafted through his nostrils, drool threatening to fall on his face.

He had to get to Wendy.

As Wendy tripped, Lucy felt her heart plummet. She could feel it as it broke through the Earth's crust and visited Satan in hell.

"WENDY!" She cried, watching the zombies jump to belly flop on top of the tiny girl. Finally, her legs started moving. She couldn't lose her. She couldn't lose the person who had shown her what family was.

Lucy was ready to lay her life down for someone she considered as a sister.

Clenching her eyes shut, she threw herself on top of the girl, right underneath the snarling zombies as she swung her ax.

Disgust filled her stomach as she felt blood spray on her face and cover her eyes, but that disgust was accompanied by relief. It was relief that Wendy was safe and that the zombies were now cut in 2 pieces. She grunted as she was hauled up by an invisible person she assumed to be Natsu.

"That was fun to watch girly." The voice said. Huh?

"You're not Natsu." She said, wiping her face on her shirt. She sputtered when she saw the owner of the voice.

"No duh," The voice snickered.

"L-l-Laxus?" She cried. In front of her was the big guy himself, totally unharmed except for the arm that was hanging in a sling.

"The one and only."

"B-but! You're supposed to be too injured to move!" Wendy cried, having gotten up. She was still a little shaken by the whole ordeal of almost dying.

"Please, I'm an S-class runner. I can take care of myself." He said with a smile. Lucy smiled too, but that smile disappeared when she heard a grunt.

"Little help here?" A strained voice shouted.

"Natsu!" Lucy took off running, swinging her ax and successfully knocked the zombie away from Natsu. She grabbed his hand and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" She breathed heavily.

"I should be asking you that question. But yeah, I'm fine. Just an overload of zombie breath."

Lucy nodded and they turned to Laxus with a rather scary look in their eyes.

"So…" Lucy started.

"Wanna explain?" Natsu finished.

Wendy held her tongue. _They're finishing each other's sentences! It is sooo gonna happen any day now._

Laxus scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well… it's a long story."

"Then you can tell us in the car. We need to meet up at Mirajane's location. They need backup." Wendy said, holding the radio for emphasis.

Lucy herded them all into the car and then climbed into the driver's seat. As she started to zoom down the road, Natsu turned in his seat to stare at Laxus.

"We're waiting."

Laxus sighed. "I guess it all started the moment we drove through Lightning road."

_Evergreen and Bixlow were bickering in the backseat._

"_Like you're one to give me advice on love," She hissed. 'You can't even get a date."_

"_Well, neither can you. I mean… unless it's with a _real man_.' Bixlow snickered, knowing fully well that Evergreen had a crush on Elfman Strauss._

"_But I can, so shut up before we get ambushed." Laxus growled. Freed hummed in agreement as he was looking over some old maps._

"_Turn left on Knight." He said._

_As Laxus turned, the car was hit. By what, he didn't know, but the blow had caused the car to roll over a couple times before stopping. Everyone was knocked out cold._

_Laxus couldn't do anything as the attackers opened his door and unbuckled his seatbelt. They dragged him out of the car and-_

**To be continued…**

* * *

**AND THE PLOT THICKENS AND ACTUALLY STARTS AND I'M OUT OF THINGS TO SAY and I admit that was jsut a dirty move right there when I was too lazy yo finish the sentence... hehe**

**So... The Pirate AU has won ppl! And... the good news is that I'm already on the third chapter (even though I _should_ be studying. oops!) But, the bodyguard AU came in second place, so I may consider starting that and seeing where it takes me. Finally, I always come up with ideas when practicing piano so if I have any really good ones, I'll try them out here. Locing the feedback. Speaking -er... writing about feedback (sorry for the bad joke)... my responses:**

**Fluffly-Experiment: Frist of all, love the name! As I previously wrote/said, the Pirate AU is coming this summer. So far, I think I have it planned for July 18th.**

**Ushindeshi: Now, I think I have that figured out, but I'm working on it!**

**Kalessia04: SO nice to hear from you again! While most of the reviews said Pirate, I think teh bodyguard AU will work out. It'll probably take place in a modern setting and have some high school chaos somehow. As for the hiatus, yeah... I planned it, but the wind of creativity possessed me a few days ago and I am proud to admit that I have the next 4 chapters already done! (YAy me!) So, I'll focus on my torture sessions and then try to finish the story so I can focus on both those two stories and some requests I've taken up.**

**KJacket: Yeah, the Pirate AU really was the most interesting. But the Couples Retreat would be modeled loosly after the movie, which is really funny so I recommend it.**

**suzaanoelofse01 : Well, that's why I decided to try out Lucy as the pirate. While it's fun to see Natsu as a pirate and it really fits with the storyline, I got really tired of the same plot being written with different words over and over again. WHile I do plan to write some cliches, most of my works are meant to be different from the common stories. I really hope you enjoy the story when I publish it!**

**LAST THING: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR 30 FOLLOWERS~ 3**


	16. Dead Men Walking

**Chapter 16: Dead Men Rising**

Last time, on Breath:

_Laxus couldn't do anything as the attackers opened his door and unbuckled his seatbelt. They dragged him out of the car and-_

Laxus was interrupted by chatter on the radio.

"_Lucy! Natsu! Are you guys alright?_" A panicked voice shouted. Natsu grabbed the radio from his sister's hand and answered.

"Yeah, we are.. Why? What's going on?"

"_Hostiles. They're asking for you._"

"Wait a sec. Who is speaking?"

"_Baka! It's Gray!_"

"Oh hey Ice Dick. Wuzzup?"

Lucy was about to whack Natsu on the head but Laxus beat her to it.

"Focus."

"Okay, okayyyy. What is this shit about hostiles?"

"_As I was saying,_" Gray growled. "_When Juvia and I were getting the second explosion ready, Gajeel shouted. We rushed over as fast as possible, but they had a gun to his head. They told us to bring Lucy to them and then they left."_

Natsu noticed Lucy's knuckles turn white as she clenched the steering wheel.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"_Just Gajeel's pride._"

"Okay then. We're heading over there to drop off Lucy."

"_Are you friggin' crazy_?" Gray shouted.

"What d'you mean?"

"_Why bring her here? They already know where we are! You're just putting her in more danger."_

"It's safer than going anywhere else. If they know where you are, they know where the rest are. So far, no one has radioed in, so we can only assume they're heading there next."

Gray couldn't poke a hole in his reasoning.

"_Fine. But you better be right or I won't be the only one trying to kill you._" Gray grumbled.

Natsu smiled. "What are you talking about? I'm always right!"

Gray just hung up in response. Yeah… best friends.

"Hmph.. Rude much? … So Lucy… What haven't you told us?" Natsu asked, narrowing his eyes.

Lucy jerked the wheel in surprise, sending Wendy flying across the backseat. Luckily, Laxus caught her before she slammed into the window.

"A lot. I mean, I guess you know I was engaged and stuff, but I haven't told you my birthday yet…"

Lucy didn't get to reply because Gajeel was calling in the radio.

"_Don't come. There's people here. You need to leave._" He hung up immediately.

Lucy and Natsu looked at each other and made the decision to head to their original spot. Someone was looking for Lucy and they didn't know who.

"Where are we going to go now?" Wendy whipsered.

"Knight and Lightning."

"They're sure to be there too." Laxus argued.

"Well do you have a better idea?" Lucy shouted.

"I know of a place in Sector 3. We can drive there in maybe an hour?" He suggested. It was decided.

"I'm being serious Luce."

"So am I. Although, I'm interested in what happened after the crash, so please continue Laxus." Lucy looked in the rearview mirror and sent her own puppy eyes to Laxus who regretted meeting Lucy's gaze.

"Fine. Now where was I?"

"You were abducted…"

"Ah, yes…"

_Laxus groggily opened his eyes. An unfamiliar hue of blue filled his gaze. Where was he? Why was it so dark?_

_He tried to recall what had happened. He was going on a mission and Evergreen and Bixlow were bickering. And then the car crashed._

"_Bixlow! Freed! Ever!" He suddenly called, straightening up. He couldn't move. His hands and legs were bound._

"_The hell? What is going on?" _

_A figure approached Laxus._

"_Looks like you've finally woken up. It's about time." _

_Laxus growled._

"_Where are they? What did you do to them?" _

"_Who?" The figure appeared to be genuinely confused._

"_I had company."_

"_Oh… Those three. We left them there."_

"_WHAT!?"_

"_Relax, they're safe. We've provided them with a new car and supplies. They'll make it back. We just needed you."_

"_Why me?" _

"_Well, you were the only one we could use as bait."_

"_For who?"_

"_Can't tell you that."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_Some call me Loke."_

"_Loki? Like the Marvel guy?"_

"_NO," The figure sounded annoyed. No girl had ever suggested that. "LokE. With an E. I was trying to sound all mysterious, ya know. Now you killed the mood."_

"_Tsk."_

"_Fine then. I need to tell you a few things. "You've been out for about 3 days, but you've been fed and given water."_

_Three days? Then this was the 6th day of their mission._

"_We're gonna drop you off somewhere where we know your friends will look."_

"_No. You'll just kidnap the one you're looking for."_

"_My sources say that there's about 12-14 people looking for you right now. The chance that the one we are looking for will find you is thin."_

"_Oh yeah? Well you can't make me." Laxus said, smirking. Loke sighed as he knocked the dude out. _

"_Just did."_

"So then you woke up at the house?" Wendy asked.

Laxus nodded.

"Then who are they looking for?"

"Luce, right? So I ask again… What haven't you told us?" Natsu said, his voice low.

Wendy realized that Lucy hadn't said a word during the whole story. Lucy was shifting in her seat, her face pale. She was muttering the word impossible over and over again.

"Is something wrong?" Natsu was suddenly worried by Lucy's reaction. He had expected her to maybe sweat a lot or turn red as she usually did, not go all psycho on him.

"That's impossible. Are you sure it was spelled with an E?" She asked Laxus, ignoring Natsu.

"Yeah. He was pretty insistent on it."

"Did you see his hair?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Was it orange?"

"How'd you know?"

Lucy abruptly slammed the brake and curled into a ball. She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. It couldn't be, could it?

"Luce? Is everything alright?" Natsu asked, immediately unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Give her some space, Natsu." Wendy ordered. "She needs space."

Natsu sat down again, but he didn't stop worrying. What could have possibly shaken Lucy so much?

"This can't be possible." She said softly, tears crawling down her face.

"What can't be possible?" Wendy asked soothingly.

"Laxus meeting Loke."

"Why not?"

"I saw Loke die with my own eyes."

(985)

* * *

**Sorry this is so short, but finals are hella mean and I thought it'd be a good cliffhanger. Ha**

**Responses:**

**Ushindeshi: Well, know you know! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**KJacket: Sorry this is short too, but the next chapter should be worth it!**

**Also, on my last response, I made a mistake. I believe I'll be able to start posting for my Pirate AU on June 18th. The only thing is I need a your opinion of a title, so I'll wait until my next chapter post to finalize it.**

1- Legend

2- Revolution

3- Fly Away

4- Unstoppable

5- Who I Am

6- Rising up

**Can't wait to see your opinions!**


	17. Painful Pasts

**Chapter 17: Painful Pasts**

"_This can't be possible." She said softly. "I saw Loke die with my own eyes._"

"Hold up." Laxus said. "You know him? The hell? How did you see him die?"

"Laxus stop. You're gonna overwhelm her." Wendy said sharply before turning to Lucy.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, ok?" She said in a soothing tone.

Lucy nodded, tightening her arms around her knees.

"Have I ever told you guys my last name?" She asked.

Confused, the three shook their heads.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't push it off any longer." She said.

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia of Crocus, heir to the Heartfilia business empire."

"Huh?" Laxus looked a little shaken, not because he didn't know, but because Lucy was telling them.

"Those Heartfilias?" Wendy cried.

Lucy nodded.

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy looked at the window, refusing to meet their intense gazes. That name was both a gift and a curse. It was a name known all over Fiore, or what was left of it anyway. As a child, she had loved being a Heartfilia, wearing pretty and fluffy dresses and all those expensive necklaces. It was a dream come true. But then she got older, and the stress was put on her shoulders at the young age of 10. Her father set up her engagement to a total asshole who was also the heir of a powerful company. She was put through hours of torturous lessons on business, only a few of which her father actually taught. She was no longer just a girl, but a piece on a game of chess. She grew to resent her last name, which is why she never told anyone.

"Yup," She said, laughing sarcastically. What would happen now that they knew? Would they hate her? Envy her? Or worse. Blame her?

"That's so cool!" Wendy exclaimed. Huh?

"Yeah! Why wouldn't you tell us?" Natsu asked.

Lucy stared at them in shock. Didn't they know? She turned to Laxus, but he shook his head. His eyes sent her a message: _Don't tell them._

She made sure he knew that she was going to talk to him, but respected his wishes. She decided to give half the truth.

"Well… I wasn't sure how you would react…" Lucy stammered.

Natsu laughed. "Why? Did you think that we'd treat you any differently?"

"People would. I mean, the daughter of the Heartfilias… the perfect target for ransom, kidnapping, theft…" Lucy explained.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but your money is null and void now. Besides, you're a Fairy Tail member. So stop calling yourself Lucy of Crocus. You're Lucy of Fairy Tail now. Be proud of that." Natsu said, smiling.

_Too cute…_

Lucy blushed a little and looked away.

"Besides, I can't see you sitting in a tower like a little princess. You're too violent and scary." He added, ruining the moment. He yelped as Lucy's fist connected with his head.

"I am soo not violent!" She cried. No one dared point out how hypocritical that statement was.

"Wait a second..," Wendy said. "What does that have to do with this Loke guy?"

The light in Lucy's eyes dimmed as the memories surfaced. "I've told you about the day it started right?"

Only Natsu nodded, so Lucy went over a brief summary of what had happened. While it was quite shocking what Lucy had gone through, Laxus had a feeling that it was only the beginning.

_Virgo lead the sobbing Lucy up to the roof, where her coworkers were waiting. _

"_You guys made it?" She asked._

"_Pisces and Libra turned." Loke said. HIs attention switched to Lucy who was mumbling incoherently. "My god, Virgo. What the hell happened?"_

"_The Master and Mistress are gone."_

"_Turned?"_

_Virgo nodded. _

"_Did you take care of them?"_

"_The Princess did."_

"_Good Lord… get the girl inside and make sure she has a blanket." Loke ordered Aries, who immediately complied._

"_We need to leave. Now. We took care of Libra, but Pisces got away from us. They've already escapes without a doubt, so Fiore is doomed." Aquarius shouted from the driver's spot. The world they knew was about to burst in flames._

_Capricorn was the last one to jump in as the helicopter took off, sending off a shot to the zombies chasing him. _

"_GO GO GO!" He yelled._

_Where Aquarius was headed, she had no idea. Crocus was about to be overrun by the disease, so she figured south was as good as any direction. _

_She stole a glance at the shivering girl in the copilot's seat. If what Virgo had said was true, then Lucy was very strong, which meant that she actually had a chance._

"_Aquarius… where are we going?" Lucy asked. Her voice sounded like there was only a thread connecting her to sanity._

"_Away honey. Away from Crocus."_

"_Okay."_

_Layla had been right, which meant that their spy was right. The disease was out there and it had hit it's target. Only 10 out of the 12 Zodiac guards remained and they were to serve Lucy, but … for how long?_

One month later

_Capricorn was on watch that night while Lucy and the remaining 4 of the Zodiac Guard slept inside their tent._

_Cancer had turned on the first week while collecting water. The disease had spread fast and had reached the less densely populated towns in about 2 days. Survivors were barely getting on and had started to group together. Of course, they knew better than to join a group. They were better off by themselves._

_Saggitarius and Taurus had died no less than 5 days later as they were hunting for food. It was then that they had decided to start training Lucy. She was doing better and actually eating. The deaths of Michelle and her parents still weighed heavily in her heart, but each death seemed to affect Lucy less and less as she forced her it to harden. By the time Gemini and Scorpio turned, Lucy didn't seem to be affected at all. After all, it was her who slayed the zombie forms. While they were happy that Lucy was doing okay, they worried about how well she was thriving and about her mental health. _

_Capricorn, lost in his thoughts, didn't even notice he fell asleep next to the fire. It's safe to say that he never woke up again when a zombie stumbled upon him snoring. _

_Aquarius and Virgo sprung awake to the sound of teeth chattering and Capricorn screaming. One look at each other and they jumped into action. Virgo worked to wake everyone up as Aquarius grabbed their weapons, some old, some recently acquired. _

_Virgo, Loke, and Aries went outside to fight while Aquarius stayed to guard Lucy, who was just starting to stir._

"_Lucy, wake up. We gotta go." She shouted. Lucy sat up quickly._

"_Where's my gun?" She asked, already slipping a sweater over her arms. _

"_Nuh uh. Virgo, Aries, and Loke are on it. You are just gonna stay here an-"_

"_ARIES!" A pained voice cried. Lucy grabbed the knife in Aquarius' hands and ran outside without another word. While she was too late to save the shy, but kind girl, she was right on time to witness Loke being bit. _

"_No," She shouted. _Not again.

"_I'm sorry Milady." He mouthed as he raised his gun. He wouldn't let himself be another burden for Virgo, who was struggling to keep some of the zombies back. _

_Aquarius yanked Lucy back inside before Loke pulled the trigger. _

"_LOKE!" She screamed and tried to run back out, but Aquarius had a strong grip. The shell on her heart broke and tears were streaming down her face. _

"_Get it together brat." Aquarius hissed. "Virgo is still out there, fighting. For YOU and for Fiore. We need to go. Now." _

_Lucy nodded and let Aquarius drag her out the back flap of the tent, sneaking away. The last thing Lucy saw was the zombies overrunning the tent they had just vacated as she turned into an alleyway. She felt it as Virgo's last breath slipped away and the transformation took place. The tears were falling heavier now and she counted each one that slid off her face and hit the pavement._

_One… for Michelle_

_Two… for her mother_

_Three… for her father_

_Four and five fell together… for Pisces and Libra_

_Six… for Cancer_

_Seven… for Taurus_

_Eight … for Sagittarius_

_Nine… for Gemini_

_Ten… for Scorpio_

_Eleven… for Capricorn_

_Twelve… for Aries_

_Thirteen… for Loke_

_Fourteen… for Virgo_

_Fifteen… for her whole idea of family_

_Aquarius' voice brought her out of her grief._

"_Lucy. You need to run. There's way too many, so I'm going to stay for a bit to hold them off."_

"_What?" Lucy exclaimed._

"_This is the only way you can survive." Aquarius said. She then proceeded to take two things from her pocket and give them to Lucy. The first thing was a key. The other was her favorite knife._

"_Now go." She whispered._

"_No. I can't. You're my friend. I can't just let you die."_

"_GO!" Aquarius bellowed. "Do not argue with me. This is not for you so don't you dare feel guilty. This is for Fiore, or whatever is left of it."_

_Lucy nodded and ran, tears once again flowing. _

_Sixteen… for a friend who sacrificed her life_

* * *

**And here's to another chapter!**

**Responses:**

**Ushindeshi: You'll see**

**Fluffy-Experiment: Hope you liked the name I chose! And you'll get to figure out your relationships through all future ones! **

**KJacket: We'll see! And again, hope you liked the story! **

**Also, incase you haven't found it yet, I've posted the first chapter to the Pirate Au which is now called Who We Are! If it's up your alley, please check it out!**


	18. An Unpleasant Reunion

**Chapter 18: An Unpleasant Reunion**

"So Loke was part of your, ummm, security guard?" Wendy asked.

Lucy nodded, wiping a tear. "I saw him die."

"Actually, you didn't." Natsu interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Lucy said, astonished. She'd seen him get bitten and then -

"Did you actually see the bite mark?" Natsu asked. Lucy shook her head. The zombie had bit him though. She'd seen its teeth clamp on his leg.

"Did you see him get shot?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Then you didn't see him die." Natsu said. "Which means, we need to find out why he fooled you."

"Fool me?"

Natsu nodded. He knew what he was talking about. He was pretty good at doing this if you wanted to put it lightly.

"But how?"

"We go see Gray!" Natsu exclaimed, grinning. "And don't worry about Loke kidnapping you. We'll protect you. Besides, didn't you leave that letter back in Akane?"

Lucy nodded slowly. Though, she'd left it without the intent of anyone receiving it.

"Then let's go!" He said as he switched seats with Lucy.

It didn't take long for Natsu to drive all the way to where Gray had last radioed them. After parking the car a few streets away, they made the horrifyingly slow walk to where Loke had last been seen.

Following the plan, Lucy stepped out of hiding and walked into the middle of the open area.

"You said you wanted to meet me?" She shouted. "Well here I am."

Two cloaked figures stepped out of hiding, each dragging someone. Those 'someones' were no one other than Gray and Gajeel.

As soon as Gray saw who had caught their captors' attention, he swore in his mind since his mouth was gagged. He shook his head and screamed into it.

Lucy saw Gray's eyes widen as she tried to tell her to leave. She mouthed an apology before glaring at the cloaked hostiles.

"Who are you?" Lucy stuck to the script. Her only response was a snicker.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm gonna whoop your ass anyway, so I suggest you let me friends go." She said, trying to be confident. In reality, she felt like jelly. Zombies were predictable, humans… not so much.

"I'd like to see you try." The figure said.

Lucy smirked as she got into a fighting stance, daring them to fight her. Only one stepped forward after handing the other his captive.

"Only one of you? But that's not a fair fight. I'm being nice in letting you fight together." Lucy sneered.

"I think one of us is just fine." The voice said gruffly, obviously trying to sound different than normal.

_Oh Loke… You were always horrible at that type of stuff._

Before the guy in front of her even finished speaking, Lucy was already charging. With one blow, she brought him down, causing the other guy to drop both guys and charge at her.

Without the element of surprise, it was a little harder to win, but she managed to knock the assailant out when she elbowed him in the neck.

Step one: done! Now for step 2…

Natsu and Wendy creeped out and began to untie Gray and Gajeel.

"Where's Juvia?" Wendy asked.

"They still have her." Gray said, coughing. Natsu swore, but helped Lucy in tying up the cloaked figures. Next they decided to unveil these hostiles.

As Lucy suspected, Loke was the first one to fight her, but the second one surprised her.

"He's just a boy!" She cried.

"And Wendy's the same age. Focus." Natsu said. Lucy nodded. She couldn't let the fact that he was young distract her from her goal.

They waited until Loke started to stir to put phase 3 into action. Their plan was to look intimidating, so they propped Loke against the wall with his limbs bound. Next, Lucy was to squat in front of him with a knife in her hand and "look cool" according to Natsu. Apparently, he'd seen this in some sort of movie and he swore it would work. Wendy sweatdropped at the absurdity of it.

The moment Loke opened his eyes, Lucy pounced.

"Wakey wakey Prince Charming," She sneered. Loke looked confused, panicked, and then constipated.

"Isn't it the other the way around?" Loke said.

"Huh?"

"I mean, Prince Chamring was supposed to kiss the Princess Sleeping Beauty, which is probably you in this scenario, to wake her up. We could reanact that if you'd like..." Loke continued, still looking constipated.

"No thanks. This world is already upside down, so why not fairy tales too? But, thats besides the point. Why are you here? Or better yet, why are you not dead?"

Loke's constipated look increased tenfold. "That's a good question that even I do not know the answer to. But.. I'm pretty happy I'm not dead."

Lucy raised an eyebrow as she started playing with her knife, tossing up and then cathing it. "Oh really? Then lets start with something you would know… like where the hell is Juvia?"

"Juvia?"

"Blue hair, blue eyes, seemed to be all over one of the guys you kidnapped."

"Oh! The feisty girl. Now she was a beauty if I ever saw one. After I knocked the guys out, she kept on fighting and screaming about a … 'gray-sama'?"

"That would be her. The question still stands."

"She's at our base, perfectly safe. We weren't really going to hurt you ya know."

"I think Laxus would say otherwise."

"Okay, he was an exception, but he was being a jackass."

"Why are you here?"

"To bring you back, obviously."

"Back where?"

"Your haven't forgotten it, have you?"

"Of course not. I've been managing just fine with Fairy Tail. How'd you even find me?"

"You left that note at Akane Resort."

"Which I'm certainly starting to regret now."

"Come with me Lucy. Leave behind Pinky over there and we can do this together."

Natsu growled. "Lucy…"

"Relax," Lucy said before really getting in Loke's face. "Loke. YOU left me. You should be dead right now. I saw that zombie bite you and I heard the shot. There is no way in hell I'd come with you without knowing how you cheated death. Besides, Fairy Tail is my home now. The only thing that could make me leave would be death. So give me one reason why I shouldn't finish that zombie's job?" She was snarling at the last sentence.

Loke stared at her before giving a weak grin. "So you've finally found love."

"The hell?"

"Nothing. Well, I guess I can't force you to come with me. But, sooner or later you will have to put an end to this." Loke said.

"I know. But I still have time. So tell me where Juvia is and we'll leave you here."

"Sorry, but no can do." Loke said, smirking.

"Oh I'm not asking." Lucy grinned sadistically as she gripped her knife. "I'm not the same girl you knew."

Loke's eyes widened and his smirk fell away. She wasn't serious, was she?

"So I suggest you tell me where Juvia is."

Loke relented. "Two houses down. Second floor. Bathroom."

Lucy smiled. "Laxus, you heard him. Go with Wendy and Gray and get her while Natsu, Gajeel and I deal with Loke and the kid."

Loke swore. "Please don't hurt him." He pleaded.

Lucy glared at Loke. "You didn't think I'd actually kill or even hurt any of you, did you?"

He winced. It wasn't his fault exactly…

Lucy walked over to Natsu to discuss all possible options.

"Well, we could pull a Natsu," Lucy suggested.

"A what?"

"Kidnap and take them to base and then force them to join."

"Sounds like a good idea. Let's do it." Natsu said and he proceeded to shove Lucy towards Loke, who was watching her with a little amusement. THe amusement faded when Lucy grinned evilly.

"Looks like I lied. We will hurt you. Sorry." Lucy then slammed the head of her gun against his head, effectively knocking him out cold. She gave a look of pity to the boy and decided to simply blindfold him.

"Gajeel, take Loke."

Said guy grunted as he lifted the dead weight over his shoulder.

"He's annoying."

Lucy then crouched down next to the boy.

"What's your name?" She said kindly.

"Romeo," He whispered as his body was trembling.

"Well, then Romeo. Listen carefully. I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

"L-loke."

"He's a special case. I've known him since before, so I had to hit him. Now I'm just going to blindfold you an-"

"Hey Luce! Hurry it up already!" Natsu shouted, starting the engine.

"I'LL HURRY UP WHEN I WANT TO! SHUT UP AND MAYBE TRY HELPING ME HERE!"

Romeo gave a weak chuckle as Lucy flipped Natsu off.

"Sorry about that idiot. Now please cooperate." Lucy pleaded.

He nodded and allowed Lucy to tie the handkerchief around his head.

"Okay. NATSU GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND HELP ME CARRY THE KID SO HE DOESN'T FALL!"

Natsu made a very dramatic show of opening the car and dragging his feet as he made his way towards them.

"Are you guys a couple?" Romeo asked out of the blue as Natsu arrived.

They spoke simultaneously. (

"Please… I have standards."

"Nah, she's too much a pervert."

"_HEY_! Take that back!" They shouted at each other. They were too engrossed in their bickering to notice Gajeel winking at the kid.

"YO! BUNNY GIRL! We don't have all day to flirt, so hurry it up."

"That's it. He's so dead." Lucy growled as she stomped to the car, leaving Natsu to carry Romeo.

"There she goes again." Natsu sighed and hoisted a snickering Romeo into a piggyback ride.

"Kid, stop laughing. It ain't that funny once you get to know that she-devil."

Natsu then had to narrowly dodge an attack coming from the car. A knife.

"Seriously? That would have hurt!" Natsu called.

Romeo was amazed at how deftly Natsu had dodged that attack, especially since it was so precise and fast. It was then that Romeo immediately knew that he would worship Natsu if they let him maybe join the base. He really hoped so.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update but I didn't account for the lack of Wifi for where I vacationed. crap. Enjoy!**

**No review responses today... sorry!**


	19. Locked and Loaded

**Chapter 19: Locked and Loaded**

This car ride was interesting compared to others according to Gajeel. He was forced to sit in the back seat with Loke one side and Romeo on the other. At first, he was a little grumpy for being stuck in the back, but was gleeful to learn that he got first row seating to NaLu flirting.

At first they were all business with Lucy radioing in to the teams.

"Hey, umm… we found Laxus and we're about to pick him up again so we'll be heading to where we branched off. Also, the mission is over, so abandon your posts and hurry. We need to get to base fast."

Cue the instant response, yet Mirajane's response rang the loudest.

"What do you mean _again_?"

Lucy cringed.

"Well, it turns out that Laxus was pretty much okay other than a self-inflicted wound and a bruise, so he insisted that he help out and I think he's helping Gray rescue Juvia right now, so…"

Lucy winced at the simultaneous screaming coming from the microphone.

"Yeah, okay. Natsu, you handle this."

"What?! No way in hell am I getting near this. Besides, I'm driving."

"And? We'll just switch."

"Nope. Not doing it."

"Gajeel then."

"Yeah?"

"Can you handle this?"

"Sorry, no can do. Gotta watch the prisoners."

Unfortunately, there was more yelling when they heard the word prisoners.

"I swear I leave you guys for 1 hour. _1 HOUR_ and suddenly we have prisoners and a captured team member along with Laxus in action." Gildarts growled into the walky-talky.

"Look. Main point is we have to meet up where we started, so shut up and listen to me." Lucy snapped. The car swerved thanks to Natsu flinching in surprise and Lucy, Gajeel, and the prisoners were all sent flying.

"Holy shit Natsu if you don't start driving correctly, I'm gonna put you on walky-talky duty." She hissed.

"Um… Hello?" A deep voice emitted from walky-talky. "

"Laxus?" Mirajane gasped.

"Mira? The hell are you doing in Sector 1?"

"Looking for your sorry ass you ungrateful twit."

"Alright… I deserved that. That aside, we need to head back to base quick." There were some audible gun shots and a young girl swearing.

_Wendy._

"Whoa-who-whoa. Wait. What the hell happened?" This time is was Jellal speaking.

"Well, we got Juvia, but they psychos don't really like that, so… We're kinda on the run right now since we had to leave our car."

"GImme that Jellal! Okay, where are you?" Now it was Erza.

There was some other conversation and Laxus relayed there current location.

"Alright, so then the closest people are Mirajane and Elfman. They're coming to pick you up. Anything else to say?" Erza asked.

Natsu grinned as he tried to snatch the walky-talky out of Lucy's hands.

"As a Co-Team Leader, I have something to say," he announced once he successfully stole it.

"Who made _you_ team leader? As the most experienced here, I think I should be the team leader? And who's your partner?" An irritated voice complained. It was Gildarts obviously.

"Well, since Luce and I came up with the plan and we organized everything, we are the leaders naturally. And you're a sourpuss, so you're unqualified."

Lucy snatched it back.

"Now is not the time to argue, so hurry up and get moving." She tossed the damned machine behind her and started to mumble.

"Well don't let Erza hear you say that or you'll be beaten to a pulp." Natsu snickered.

Lucy blushed. She had been complaining about Erza's stubbornness to follow directions.

"Well… You know I'm right."

"I don't think Erza would agree though…I mean, if she found out…."

Lucy glared. "But she's not _going to find out _is she..._Natsu?"_

Natsu shrugged. "Who knows? I mean, while I would really like an extra dessert when we get back, I think Erza would really want to know…"

"Fine."

Gajeel accidentally let out a sigh, reminding the two that they had company.

"Look, hurry up and drive faster Natsu." He chided. The car accelerated and they zoomed through the streets. Lucy stared at the streets, devoid of zombies, who were currently concentrated at the abandoned blow-up stations.

"Where are we going?" Romeo asked.

"Somewhere, kid."

"But like… where? Sector 2? 3?"

"As I said… somewhere."

"Gajeel! Be nice," Lucy warned.

"And mind your own damn business. Just continue flirting or whatever," Gajeel huffed.

Lucy flushed.

"That's it Natsu! Kick him out! I've had enough of him!"

Natsu looked at Gajeel and then to Lucy, and then back again.

"Nahhh…. Too much work. Besides, I can see the others from here."

"Huh? The others? Where?"

"See that red speck over there? That's Erza and Jellal. They took my truck."

"Are you sure? I mean… it could be any car."

"Excuse me? I know my truck."

"Yeah, yeah. It's your truck."

"Seriously!"

"What? I said yeah, so hurry up."

Natsu grunted. "I'm going so fast already though!"

Lucy laughed. "And has that ever stopped you?"

Natsu smiled. "No way in hell! I'm all fired up Now!"

[time skip]

Gajeel was relieved to finally meet up with the others as he could escape the suffocating scent of obliviousness. Everyone seemed to be alright, just a few bruises and scratches. No bites. No casualties.

But then Laxus had to ruin it with the whole 'I'm being chased' routine as Elfman's truck sped right past them. They were hollering.

"Hey Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"Think I can beat them home?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Don't you dare." She hissed.

Natsu snickered as he slammed the pedal.

"Damn it! Natsu slow down!" She screamed, but her words went unheard as the other cars caught on to Natsu's brilliant idea.

This way, they had a quicker return time, much to Laxus' relief, but Lucy kept an eye out to see if the attackers were falling behind. They weren't, but Natsu reassured her that the guards would deal with them.

"Let's hope."

Of course, once they neared the base, they started shouting at the guards.

"YO GET YOUR ASSES READY AND SHOOT THOSE BASTARDS!" Gray screamed from his car. Luckily, someone heard him and immediately alerted his companions as they observed the high speed car chase.

One aimed his gun and shot.

"Idiots," Natsu swore as he swerved the car to miss getting shot. "Do they even know how to aim?"

"Apparently not," Gajeel replied as he saw Jellal do the same thing. "Guess that means we have to do it."

Lucy's eyes widened. "You're not gonna… kill them… right?"

Natsu laughed. "Not by bullets. It's against our rules, but if they die in a car crash, then it should be alright."

Lucy was about to say something sassy when she was cut off by another sudden swerve. "I swear to god, it's like they're shooting at us."

Natsu looked at Lucy for a second before returning his gaze to the road. "Holy shit, Luce, you're right. Who the hell is up there?"

Lucy grabbed the radio and furiously shouted into it.

"Anyone know who is up there?"

Fumbling could be heard on one line.

"Mest. Why?" It was Cana.

Lucy didn't know who that was, so she asked Gajeel to let Natsu focus.

"I think he joined a couple years ago. It's a bit fuzzy." He said.

Lucy nodded.

"Okay. So, I think he's shooting at _us_ rather than our new _friends._" Lucy declared.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, Natsu's had to dodge about 5 bullets so far…"

"WATCH IT DAD! Holy shit, Lucy you're right."

"Pass it on. Something's wrong." Lucy commanded and returned her attention to the guards.

"Got i- HEY!"

There was that annoying fuzzing noise that signaled a cut in the connection. Lucy froze. There was no way this was happening.

"Cana? CANA?" Lucy yelled.

Lucy immediately rolled down her window and tried to lean out of the car to see if Cana was okay.

"Yeah, not a good idea Bunny Girl." Gajeel said and pulled her back down as Natsu made a rather sharp swerve.

"But Cana…"

"is alright. The walkie-talkies were old anyway." Gajeel reassured Lucy.

"Guys, shut up so I can focus." Natsu hissed. They were almost at the gate and their chasers were gaining on them since the swerving and dodging slowed them down.

"Luce, I need you to tell Gray to open the gate."

Lucy nodded and tightened her grip on her walkie-talkie.

"Gray, you there?"

There was some cackling noise before she heard a broken up voice.

"Sorry, you're breaking up," Lucy cried. "Can you say that again?"

" ... is speaking. She will tell Gray Darling what he needs to know."

Lucy assumed it was Juvia. "Open the gate."

Some chattering could be heard.

"Gray and Juvia are wondering how."

Lucy looked to Natsu and swore her heart fluttered at his grin.

"Yo Water Girl! Tell him to run it down." Natsu shouted.

"Okay. Juvia is on it."

Natsu laughed and accidentally closed his eyes for a split second, but that was all it took. One moment of sloppiness. Carelessness.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed as she felt the bullet hit a tire. Natsu instinctively slammed the brake, but that was a bad choice. The car skidded and flipped. It rolled across the once beautiful grass and didn't stop. Glass crunched and metal dented.

The last thing Lucy remembered was whispering, "Natsu," before it all when black.

* * *

**BOOM! Yeah, so the interesting thing is that I _did_ have an update schedule so I'm trying to catch up :) Also... new song for chapter titles! It's called "Fire in My Soul" by Walk off the Earth. Once again, I found it in a Fairy Tail AMV by AnimeSafeHaven and I thought the song fit the fanfic. **

**Ushindeshi: Correct! Hope you enjoyed this one.**

**Fairytailshipper2017: Thanks! Hope this one was good too!**


	20. Don't I Know It P

**Chapter 20: Don't I Know it **

"_Is she gonna be alright mom?"_

"_What about Gajeel?"_

"_Or assflame?"_

"_Don't forget about the kid!"_

When Lucy was semi-conscious, she could hear the worried voices that sounded familiar. But as soon as she almost recognized them, the darkness swallowed her mind again. Once enclosed in it, she struggled to get out only to be pulled back under in an endless cycle.

...Or so she thought.

Lucy had fought her way to her semi-conscious state and heard a voice that seemed to be crying.

"_Come on! You can do it! Just please PLEASE wake up."_

Lucy sort of furrowed her eyebrows. The voice was so familiar and her heart tugged at each word. Why did she want to talk to the voice so much? Who was it? Was she important?

Lucy's brain froze. She..

_**Wendy**_

Lucy's eyes shot open and she bolted up.

"Wendy!" She shouted. Two arms were suddenly fastened around her neck, suffocating her.

"Lucy! Oh my gosh I have to get my mom. Lay down for a while. MOM!"

Wendy bolted out of the room, hollering for her mother as Lucy clutched her head. Damn, why was it pounding so loudly? Lucy lowered herself back into her makeshift gurney and looked to her left only to see a curtain. Not thinking straight, her brain decided that it was necessary to see what was behind the curtain, even if it defied Wendy's orders.

Lucy sat up again and blinked a few times to clear her head before moving to lift her sheets. The moment she put her weight on her left leg, she grunted as the pain hit her like a wave. Yet, she persevere. Somehow, she knew that whatever was behind the curtain was important and that was what drove her to bear the pain and continue her pathetic and slow limping.

She was grateful when she reached the curtain and used it to not only regain her balance, but also swallow the nausea that had pooled in her stomach.

She ever so slowly pulled the curtain back to reveal a badly bruised figure lying in bed, sleeping.

"Natsu," She murmured and half-limped, half-dragged her body to his bed before collapsing in his bed from the extreme effort it took her to get there. She was relieved to see that he didn't seem to have any major injuries like whatever happened to her left leg. Just a bandage that seemed to be over his right cheek.

Dizziness washed over her head as she pulled the covers over her body. Her vision blurred and she gave in by laying her head on his pillow. Sure it was a tight fit, but in her current state of mind, she saw nothing wrong.

Her eyelids dropped and although she didn't want to, she immersed into the darkness once again. This time, she didn't spend so much time fighting as she easily woke up again to strong arms carrying her to her bed. Energy still depleted, she could only snuggle deeper into the arms as they supported her weight.

"Stay in your own bed, got it Luce? There's no point in making your leg worse."

Lucy assumed the voice belonged to the person carrying her, but her eyelids were still too heavy to open. Something about it, though, sounded very comforting and it made her heart flutter. She felt her back gently touch the bed and then the covers were pulled over her. Her heart sank when she felt the warmth start to go away and without even realizing it, her hand shot out and grabbed what she supposed was the person's hand.

"Stay," She murmured and managed to open her eyes, but her vision was still a little blurry. She could make out pink hair coming closer into her bed. Natsu?

As the warmth returned, she wrapped her arms around it in an attempt to make sure it would never go away again.

"Thank you," She mumbled, not thinking Natsu heard her, but as all plots flow, he did hear her and was shocked at the sudden heat that appeared on his cheeks. The blush stayed there until he fell asleep to Lucy's steady heartbeat.

[Time Skip]

Now while this whole bed switcharoo might have seemed innocent and fluffy, Wendy, Grandeeney, and Gray would have to say otherwise.

Wendy had come back with Grandeeney in tow only to find Lucy's bed empty.

"Lucy?" Wendy called, but received no answer. She swore only to receive a whack to the head from her mother.

"Natsu is a bad influence. Don't acquire his horrible vocabulary." She scolded.

"But…"

"I know, I know. But she has to be here _somewhere_ right? Where could she have possibly gone?"

Wendy nodded, but then froze. "What if Mest took her?"

Grandeeney clucked her tongue. "I doubt it. He's safely locked up downstairs."

Wendy nodded, but wasn't put at ease. Nonetheless, they searched endlessly. First, they visited their shared room, but Lucy was not there. Next, they went to the library when Wendy saw a few books in Lucy's bed. There, they met Levy who informed them that Lucy had not set foot in the library.

Wendy searched her head for any other clues and ended up leading her mom to the weapon's room. But when Erza, who was sharpening one of her katanas, confirmed their worst fears, Wendy had one last place that Lucy could possibly be: the cafeteria. Mirajane had been allowed off of bed rest a couple days prior and had gone straight back to cooking, much to the base's joy. But alas, Mirajane had not seen Lucy, though she did inquire as to her wellbeing.

"Well I'm wondering too," Grandeeney grumbled. "The audacity of the girl! Running off without telling us."

Though it seemed Grandeeney was grumpy, she wa seriously worried sick about the girl. She didn't want to worry Wendy with the extent of her injuries, but she knew that if Lucy was on her feet for too long… she could just collapse. But a miracle took place and Gray hollered Wendy's name.

"WENDY! Wait up a sec!"

Wendy turned around sharply to see Gray jogging towards her and her mother.

"You guys are looking for Lucy, right?" He said, slightly panting.

"Yeah. Do you know where she is?"

A smirk coated his lips. "Where she always is: by Natsu's side."

"Huh?" Grandeeney blurted.

"I don't know," Gray said. "I was visiting the asshole and low and behold I see Lucy snuggled right next to him. Did you guys not check the rest of the infirmary?"

Wendy chuckled nervously and scratched her head sheepishly.

"Well…"

Grandeeney didn't realize she had shoved her daughter aside as she rushed back to the infirmary.

"Wait mom! We're coming too!" Wendy called and tried to catch up.

"Then hurry up! I need to rebandage Lucy's leg before she gets an infection."

The three of them ended up running frantically to where Natsu and Lucy were supposedly snuggling. Of course, they entered through the second door, which was closer to Natsu's bed only to find the bed empty.

Grandeeney swore. "Not again. Wendy, check Lucy's bed."

Gray ended up following Wendy and chuckled when he saw his best friend being crushed to death by Lucy.

"They're here!" Wendy called and turned to see her mother struggling to bring over seemingly heavy supplies. Bandages, pills, creams, you name it, she had it.

"Gray, I need to you detach Lucy from Natsu and pull down the sheets. Wendy, blend these together to make a paste."

Both got right to work, though Gray ended up having the harder task. Lucy's grip was rather tight and he could tell that she _really_ did not want to let go. So, he changed his plan of attack. First, he took her hands and began to pull them away from Natsu's body. Honestly, the whole thing was quite awkward and he really hoped they didn't wake up.

"Gray, hurry up. I need to change the bandage really soon." Grandeeney warned.

As soon as Natsu was free, he quickly snatched him and half-carried, half-dragged him out of bed and into his own bed where he should've been sleeping.

He then rushed back and pulled Lucy's legs on top of the thin blankets that came with the bed.

"She's ready," He said and Grandeeney wasted no time in disassembling the intricate bandage on Lucy's leg. Gray watched with curiosity. He knew that Lucy had saved Natsu, who had neglected to put his seatbelt on. In doing so, her leg had gotten crushed when the car landed on its hood.

He hadn't expected the injury to be so… mild. In all honesty, it looked like Lucy had maybe cuts herself on something. As he was about to ask Grandeeney about all the fuss, she cut him off.

"The paste Wendy is making is something I created thanks to one of the gases that the zombies emit. When it interacts with the CO2 the plants take in, dandelions develop a new property: healing. As long as I pace the treatments perfectly, her leg will heal without even a scar."

Gray looked at her in shock. When had she found this out? Did Makarov even know about this? Who was he kidding… of course he knew.

Grandeeney applied more paste and grabbed a new bandage which she wrapped around her leg.

"Of course, the process is very painful. If she applies too much weight on the leg, she can pass out. On top of that, the energy it takes to do this… it's a lot, so I don't usually sue this method. But I think she'll pull through."

"I know she can," Wendy said, determination and confidence burned deep in her eyes.

Grandeeney started putting everything back, but stopped.

"Wendy, go check on the boy. Tell me how he's doing. And Gray, check on Gajeel. I need a thorough report."

The two left to the room next door, which was the old nurse's office and where Romeo and Gajeel were recovering.

Once they had left, Grandeeney sighed. "You guys can wake up now."

Natsu's head poked out from behind the curtain and he made eye contact with Lucy, who had sat up, stretching.

"Well?" Grandeeney asked.

"Where's Loke?" Lucy asked, a faint trace of panic in her voice.

Grandeeney frowned. "I believe he escaped in the car crash. Makarov wanted to send people after him, but I advised against it."

Lucy swore. This was bad. Not only did he have a faint idea of where the base was, he also had some backup as they had learned.

"Why not?" Natsu exclaimed.

"I thought that Lucy might want to lead that once she completely heals."

Both had to admit that Grandeeney had a point. Lucy doubted they would be successful because in truth, Loke was trained for this kind of thing and out of all of them, she knew them best.

"And Mest?" Natsu asked.

"He's locked up downstairs. When you crashed, well… the rest got really angry and more or less stormed him."

Lucy cocked her head. "Did he say anything on why?"

Grandeeney nodded. "He claimed that he was blackmailed into it by Phantom Lord. Apparently, they had access to Cana and threatened her. Of course, Gildarts didn't take to that too kindly, but it's obviously not true. After we attacked them for hijacking our food supplies, they split up."

Lucy felt the nausea return. Did she say… Phantom Lord? She knew that they were fully capable, which she said.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, confused. "It's literally impossible."

Lucy looked stricken as she let the next bomb explode.

"Well, they _are_ the ones who started the whole zombie virus! Didn't you guys know?"

* * *

**_Hehehe. Halfway through the story, so I guess it's a milestone? Enjoy the cliffhanger!_**

_Ushindeshi: Glad to know! I think I really surprised myself with that chapter and i don't know why, but it really jumpstarts the _real_ plot of the story. _


	21. Oh, the Moment is Right to Ignite

**Chapter 21: Oh the Moment is Right to Ignite**

"_Well they _are _the ones who started the whole zombie virus! Didn't you guys know?"_

* * *

There was silence in the room as both Grandeeney and Natsu stared at Lucy in shock. What did she just say?

Internally, Lucy was screaming. Oh god. This was her entire mission and here she was, blowing it up.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, his voice quiet and broken.

"Hold on. I'm getting everyone in here. Now. Makarov needs to hear this." Grandeeney ordered, her voice cold.

Natsu and Lucy sat there in awkward silence for twenty minutes. No, Natsu wasn't mad or anything. He was in shock and was a little disappointed in himself. Having experienced their leader (Jose) himself, he could tell that they were fully capable of something this big. But still… for 3 years, he had believed that it was just a freak of nature… God's will… but to find that this apocalypse was all because of a group of people… it made him sick. Millions of people had died because of the evilness of one person.

Lucy was busy fretting. She didn't know what was going to happen and what she was going to say. Should she tell them the whole truth? Her mission? Why they released the virus? To tell the truth, she knew everything and shouldered a rather large chunk of the blame.

Luckily, she had a basic timeline by the time Grandeeney had collected everyone. Though, the seriousness of the air in the room didn't calm her nerves.

Her audience consisted of her own S-class team, Gajeel, Laxus, and Makarov; all of whom looked pale.

"Lucy, I think I can speak for everyone when I tell you to start talking." Makarov said sternly.

She shifted uncomfortably under everyone's' gaze, but started talking anyway. She really hoped they wouldn't hate her for this.

"Well, as some of you know, my name is Lucy Heartfilia, sole heir to what once was the Heartfilia Industry…"

* * *

_At 16 years of age, Lucy never had free time except for the rare times her tutor fell ill and when that happened, she made sure to take advantage of it. Today was one of those days, and Lucy had one plan and one plan only: spend time with her mom._

_Her only problem was that her mother wasn't in any of her usual places. Lucy had checked their bedroom, her office, and even the library, yet her mother had yet to be found. _

_Lucy dejectedly walked down one of the many hallways as she prepares to give up on her plans, but… then she heard voices coming from one of the rooms. Her curious side took over as she was compelled to eavesdrop. _

"_I don't know Layla. Can what he said really be true?"_

"_Jude. This is Jose. You know more than anyone the lengths he would go to be number one."_

"_But what about Lucy? If we give in, it'll destroy her. I wouldn't be able to look at her eyes knowing that I gave up so easily. I say keep him there. See if he can find a cure or vaccine or something. Or at least a sample to develop one."_

"_It's our only choice."_

_Lucy was confused. She didn't know who Jose was or why they would need a vaccine. Usually, vaccines were used against viruses so did that mean… Did this Jose guy create a disease? And if so, was he blackmailing her parents?_

_That was the first time Lucy heard about what she deduced to be a disease, but it certainly wasn't the last._

_Two weeks later, Lucy's dreams were still plagued with nightmares of gorish diseases when she overheard her parents talking again. This time the man who had supposedly infiltrated Jose's company was with them. _

"_Layla, it's bad. They've started the human testing phase and… it worked. I've never seen anything like it."_

_Layla gasped, horrified and Jude grunted._

"_This is horrendous. Ughg. I think I'm going to be sick."_

_Lucy assumed that the mystery man had shown her some sort of footage or something. But what could truly be as horrific as what Layla suggested? What had made her strong mother feel like vomiting?_

"_Jude, we have to stop this."_

"_I know… but how? All our attempts at a vaccine have failed! What else is there to do?"_

_The mystery man spoke again, and this time his voice was familiar. "Perhaps there is another way… one we haven't tried out yet."_

_Lucy could imagine her parents looking at the man, their anxiety skyrocketing._

"_Tell us!"_

"_Well, our researchers have been approaching this as something like the flu… an illness that is easy to get rid of and easy for our body to fight off… but the reality is… it's a hardcore disease. So, lets treat it as one. We need to view it as potent or even more so than Cancer."_

"_I'm not following your drift," Juse said, warily. _

"_Our current efforts in curing Cancer have strayed from any vaccine or counter virus to using chemotherapy and nanotechnology. If my hunch is right about this, then… what if we need a different form of energy?"_

_Lucy wanted to listen even more. Whatever her parents were facing, she deserved to stand with them. But, her eavesdropping session was cut short when her tutor finally found her. _

"_Miss Lucy! What in heavens are you doing here?"_

_Instantly, the room went quiet with shock and Lucy struggled to find a good lie._

"_I, uh, was looking for my mother! She wasn't in any of her usual spots, so I decided to search around. I thought you were absent!"_

_Her tutor clucked her tongue. "Well it certainly takes more than just a cold to keep me from teaching! Come along now, child. We still have a whole unit to get through if you want to go to public school next year." Her tutor proceeded to grab Lucy's arm and drag her down the hall, no matter Lucy's protests. She wanted to… no… needed to know more. As she looked back longingly, she saw a flash of red hair ducking back behind the safety of the door. Could it be?_

_Her tutor wasted no time in forcing Lucy to forget all about the mystery man with red hair as she shoved down even more history and business tactics down Lucy's throat._

_The next and final time Lucy had the chance to eavesdrop was the day Michelle had arrived for her annual Spring Break visit._

_Lucy had stumbled upon her mother whispering in her bathroom. Curious, she hid behind the door and kept her breathing quiet._

"_Are those gunshots? What the hell is going on?"_

_The other person's voice was muffled, so Lucy assumed that they were talking through a phone call, most likely on speaker phone._

"_They knew, Layla. They knew I was a mole. My god, they knew the entire time!"_

"_Shit. And the cure? Did they take it?"_

"_No. I hid it."_

"_According to the plan?"_

"_Of course. Do you have the twelve keys?"_

"_They're all hidden except for one."_

"_That's good. That's really good. I think I'm going to head there. I'll lose them and then hide out there. There's enough provisions for a few months, right?"_

"_Of course. In fact, if you're by yourself, the supplies could last you years. But what about your family?"_

"_I'll see them when this is over. I'm sure they'll understand."_

"_Be safe, okay? I don't want to te-"_

"_FUCK! Layla, oh my god. Jose is crazy. I can't believe he actually could do- ARGH!"_

"_Hello? Are you there?" _

_Lucy's heart was pounding in her chest. Could it be? Could it be that she was listening to someone die?_

"_Shit, yeah. I'm here. Look, I'll call you back. I need to focus. The motherfoucker finally did it."_

_Lucy could hear her mother's shaky breathes as she lost connection._

"_What have you done now, Jose?" her mother whispered. "All this… for money? For the top spot? You bastard."_

_Lucy scrambled out of the room as silently and quickly as possible when she heard her other get up. In her haste to get out of there, she slammed right into Michelle._

"_Lucy! Oh my! You look like you've seen a ghost! Is everything okay?"_

_Lucy forced a smile on her face. "Yeah, of course! Just saw a spider…"_

_Michelle gasped and felt for Lucy._

_It was safe to say that the next day, Lucy would never see Michelle again._

* * *

_Lucy had forgotten about the whole missions, not even connecting the dots, as she mourned the deaths of all those she loved. But, it was Loke who answered her unspoken questions._

"_Lucy, I need to talk to you," he said one day. It was after Lucy had successfully killed a deer on the outskirts of town._

"_Yeah?" _

"_This whole thing… there's a way to stop it."_

_Lucy dropped the knife she was cleaning._

"_What?"_

"_There's a cure."_

_Lucy scoffed. "Don't be silly. How could there possibly be a cure? That would mean someone knew about … it … beforehand."_

_It all clicked together in Lucy's head. The phone calls, the mystery man with red hair… the cure._

"_My parents knew, didn't they? They had that mole, right? The one who was caught?"_

_Loke did a double take. _

"_You-"_

"_Yeah. But that means we need to collect the keys, right?"_

"_As your father ordered. Collect the keys, find the safehouse, take the cure and make copies."_

_Lucy looked at the sky. It was full of stars, almost begging her to say yes._

"_Let's do it."_

_Lucy had to fix the mess her parents had created. But if she had confronted them earlier, or taken this to the police... maybe some lives would have been saved._

* * *

**The Long Awaited Chapter... hope it was worth the wait.**


	22. Let's Get Going!

**Chapter 22: Let's get Going**

When Lucy finished her tale, the room was silent except for the pounding hearts of everyone there. No one knew what to feel.

Some felt pity. Lucy had in reality suffered the most out of all of them, not only from the hardships of living on her own, but also the guilt of being part of the reason so many people died.

Yet that weight on her shoulders also stirred a teensy bit of resentment until they remembered that it was Jose who unleashed the modern day plague in the end.

Lastly, there was hope. Hope for a solution. A cure. Anything to stop this living hell.

It was Wendy who broke the silence. "Lucy? Please stop crying."

Half the room froze. They hadn't noticed the silent tears sliding down Lucy's cheeks.

"I-i can't. I'm sorry. I just- I… I don't belong here.. A-and I understand if you want me to lea-"

"Oh shut up!"

Lucy hiccuped in surprise.

"God damn it, you keep saying that. When are you going to understand? YOU are a member of Fairy Tail. You will ALWAYS belong here, no matter what you did in your past or who you used to be."

"Natsu." Erza said warningly, but Makarov motioned to her to stop. He liked where this was going.

"Lucy, how many times to I have to tell you? You are Lucy of Fairy Tail, not some goddamn princess in a tower. If anything, you are like an angel. You've changed my sister, my friends, and hell, you've changed me for the better. And on top of that, you have a possible cure to stop this hellish world, so stop crying. You're staying."

By the end of his rant Natsu was towering over Lucy, who was staring at him, her tears miraculously gone. She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," She whispered as Natsu slowly returned the hug.

Makarov, Wendy and Grandeeney dabbed at the tears that had formed from Natsu's speech and glared at Gray when he cleared his throat, obviously disturbed by the PDA.

"On that note, let's start planning. So how many keys have you collected?"

Lucy reached under her shirt and pulled out the necklace, showcasing the golden keys to everyone in the room.

"So far, I have 9 out of the ten. I'm missing Loke's, Virgos and Pisces's. Unfortunately, I only know where Picses's is."

At least it was something.

"And what about the safehouse?"

Lucy sighed. "At the moment, the only person who knows where it is is Loke."

Erza was confused. "Then how were you going to find it?"

"Well, each key comes with a clue. The last one, which was Cancer's, was hidden in a picture of my parent's wedding. They spent their honeymoon in Hargeon in a little motel, so that's where I have to look for Pisces."

"So the last key should have a clue to where the safehouse is?"

Lucy nodded.

"Well that's a problem. Without you, there's no hope in finding the keys." Makarov said. "You need to heal fast."

"Now Makarov! That's no way to speak to someone who survived a car crash!" Grandeeney exclaimed.

Makarov grumbled.

"Well, there's also the whole mole person. Do you have any idea who it is?" Gajeel asked.

"I'm afraid I don't. I'm sure my mother said his name at one point, but I'd need to hear it to remember."

"Well that sucks. For now, we need to make some sort of outline or plan while Lucy gets better. Then, we find Loke. If he knows where the safehouse is, then he can take half of us there while Lucy leads her team to find the keys."

Everyone more or less agreed before Grandeeney shoved them out of the room when Lucy felt faint.

"Too much excitement! Too many people! Idiots! Leave!" She roared before fussing over Lucy. When she saw her troublesome son trying to get into bed with Lucy, she raised an eyebrow.

"Nu huh. Go to your own bed you sly, _sly_ dog."

Natsu held up his hands in innocence as he slowly made his way to his assigned infirmary bed.

"I have no idea what your talking about, mother."

"Oh don't you mother me. Sit down and sleep."

Natsu complied and was surprised by how easily he fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was apparently the next day, but Natsu couldn't tell at first because of the pillow in his face.

"The hell?" He mumbled into the pillow. Who the hell was trying to suffocate him this early?

When the pillow was removed, the first thing he saw was two brown eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Is there a reason for morning suffocation?"

"Well, you food is going to get cold."

As if on cue, his stomach growled and he stared hungrily at the plate in Lucy's hands.

"Wendy dropped it off."

He wasted no time in digging in, inhaling the scrambled eggs on the plate and then the toast.

The truth is, most of the morning were spent like this. Sometimes, their friends visited when they had time, but it was mostly just the two of them and his spent their afternoons bouncing ideas and plans off one another. So far, they had an ideal team for looking for the keys and searching for Loke. They also came up with 3 separate plans to find the key, but two were highly unrealistic and involved Natsu having fire powers and Lucy being able to summon her guards with the keys.

But, after a week, Natsu was free to leave, which meant Lucy would face the next 5 days on her own. Of course, Natsu wouldn't stand for that and spent his days as his mother's 'apprentice' while he joked around with Lucy. He couldn't count the number of times he blushed at Lucy's cuteness or had the sudden urge to kiss her. All in all, he had found love.

This sudden desire to be with Lucy had confused him at first, but he adapted and simply gave in. He spent the nights in Lucy's bed and the daytime right beside her.

When the day finally came for Lucy to be released, they threw a mini party together and celebrated with two cookies and a sandwich.

Gradneeney saw them communicating without words, finishing each other's sentences, and overall acting like a lovestruck couple. When they couldn't hear, she cackled with laughter at her outstanding talent at matchmaking.

Unfortunately, it was time to get serious. Now that Lucy was ready to go back onto the battlefield, they would have to find Loke and get the keys. And so, a meeting was called in order by Makarov.

"Today is the day. We will finalize the plan and then gather supplies. Tomorrow, we part on our separate journeys, which will be dangerous in their own right. I'm giving it to you straight. I have no idea which sectors we'll be heading, but we will most likely end up in sector one and 2. And the worst of all.." Makarov hiccuped. "I-i can't guarantee your safety. So, my children, if you are not comfortable with this, please leave now that you have the chance. No one will judge you."

All 15 pairs of eyes stared at Makarov, none willing to leave.

"As much as I hate to admit it, that settles it. Lucy, you're on."

Lucy cleared her throat and stepped to the front of the classroom.

"Well, it seems that with so many things to do, it's only natural to split into teams. As you all know, I've spent a lot of time under house arrest in the infirmary with Pinky over there, so we've come up with a half-decent plan."

Everyone leaned in with interest.

"Unfortunately, finding Loke is something you need me on, but so is finding the keys. At the moment, the keys are priority until said otherwise and while Hargeon is a relatively safe zone, who knows where the last two keys are hidden. So, I need a team that's pretty strong, but also smart. It took me a couple of days to narrow down Pisces to Hargeon, and obviously longer for the others. I propose that the following people join my team:

Wendy, she's smart, small, and quick,

Levy, one of the smartest people here

Natsu, he's good at tracking and probably one of the strongest here

Gray, he would be a good leader if we end up splitting up

Erza, to keep the boys from fighting

Gajeel, to help us with weapons and technical stuff

Finally, Romeo. We don't know yet, but he way have some insight on where Loke's is hidden

Her selection made sense, but it also almost robbed them of their essential fighters. Or so they thought.

"Now, while we're looking for the keys, it won't hurt to have people actively searching for Loke. Therefore, Gildarts, Cana, and Jellal will do that. Once we finish, or if you guys actually find Loke, we will join you in capturing him. Now remember, do NOT make a move on Loke without me. ANy objections?"

Cana raised her hand. "Why can't we do it without you?"

Lucy sighed. "Loke was trained to not be found if he didn't want to. He was made the leader of the Zodiac team for a reason. He was the best. Of course, I was present during his training. I know all his strategies and moves. If anyone here can predict his movements, I can."

Cana nodded. "What about the team when we go to the storage house for the cure?"

"Well, I was hoping that the same team would then go. We need a lot of people here. Once we have the cure, I have no doubt that Phantom Lord will find out. You may have defeated them in the past, but one thing that rat, Jose, can do is adapt. I suggest that people train. Train the ones who don't usually fight because we will need every single person to win this… this…. This war. We need to win if we have any hope of surviving."

People clapped at Lucy's speech. She really had thought everything out.

"Well, what are y'all pussies waiting for? Go get ready!" Natsu shouted, waving his sword around.

Pissed, they all left cursing the person who gave Natsu the sword.

Lucy's team met together.

'But, Lu-chan… why me?" Levy asked. "I can't fight and I'll most likely be in your way."

"You're smart. I know that you out of everyone, will be able to adapt on the road."

Levy sighed as she awkwardly picked up a random dagger on Lucy's desk.

"Hey Lucy? Makarov said we could check out our weapons now. You coming?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, just a moment. Gajeel, start training Levy." Lucy said, sending a wink Levy's way.

It was only an hour before bedtime, yet no one could sleep. The weight of their mission hung over their heads. Somehow, Lucy's team had ended up bunking in Lucy and Wendy's room, all except for Romeo who was getting checked over one more time by Grandeeney.

"Psst. Luce! Can you sleep?"

"Well I'm trying to," Lucy hissed.

"Wanna go somewhere cool?"

"No thanks."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"C'mon Luce! Luuuuccccccyyyyyyy!"

"Would you two shut up?" Gajeel said, throwing a pillow at them. The pillow flew through the air and ended up hitting Natsu smack in the middle of his face.

"No one wants to listen to your attempts at flirting."

Natsu was grateful no one could see his blush and growled. "Oh yeah? Well take this."

Natsu threw the pillow back, but it was intercepted by Wendy.

"Listen Natsu. A- you just admitted that you were trying to flirt. B- This pillow almost hit Erza. Go to bed and shut up before we all die."

Natsu felt his face burn hotter and looked at Lucy, who seemed to be hiding underneath the covers.

"Scooch over Luce."

Lucy reluctantly rolled over and Natsu crawled in. The added warmth from the two was enabled them to fall asleep.

(2011)

* * *

**I know it's a bit late, but Happy Anniversary! Enjoy! Also, I didn't edit this so if you catch anything, pls let me know!**


	23. I'm Not Waiting!

**Chapter 23: I'm not Waiting**

Morning came all too fast as the pressure of the mission hit them at full force. They possibility of losing someone had suddenly skyrocketed by a lot, which was realized by Lucy, Wendy, and Natsu as they made their way to the dining hall where Mirajane was working hard to make enough food for a few weeks.

When Natsu received his breakfast plate, he grumbled. "Is it just me, or did the portions get way smaller?"

Mirajane apologized. "I took inventory of the pantry. We're running out of food, so we're going to need to do a few more raids if we want to eat next month."

Lucy's heart plummeted to her stomach. Here she was taking all the good runners on her little revenge trip while they needed to stay here and help out.

"Okay. Then send us half of what you were originally going to send us. I'm sure Hargeon has a bunch of food that we can scavenge." Wendy said, her smile a little dimmer.

"Are you sure?" Mirajane asked, worried.

Natsu scoffed. "I think Lucy could lose a few, so yeah. OW!"

Lucy brushed the imaginary dirt of her hands. "Yes, we are sure. Also, mirajane?"

"Yeah?"

"I was hoping that you, Laxus and Elfman would lead training? I know it's a bit much, but you guys are probably the most experienced when it comes to training people from what I've heard."

"Of course!" Mirajane said, and gave a smile. It was almost a blessing for Lucy, who called everyone from her group together.

"So today is here," She started.

"No shit Sherlock." Natsu snorted.

"And yet I didn't ask for your opinion Watson," Lucy snarled. Why was Natsu being such an ass?

"Anyway, it's important that I go over a few rules for this mission. First- this is the only connection we have to the base and the other team," She said, holding up the walky-talky. "We will not use this for anything else except emergency communication because I have no idea how long the battery last or when we'll find more that work."

Everyone nodded and agreed.

"Second- we avoid zombies at all costs. We cannot afford to waste ammunition or energy due to the unknown length of the mission. Hargeon is pretty peaceful, but I do not know where the other keys are hidden.

"Lastly, as your leader, I will command you to leave me behind if anything happens to me."

Her last words sparked argument.

"Hell no!"

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"Oh yeah, and we might as well all kill ourselves too!"

Lucy winced. She had a feeling that it wouldn't go as planned.

"But-"

"This is Fairy Tail, you moron. We're not leaving anyone behind." Natsu was still being an ass, but a caring ass.

"Yeah, but-"

"Nope. You may be the leader of this team, but Makarov's the leader of this base. If he practically preaches not leave anyone behind, then his word overrules yours." So Wendy was joining in too.

"Fine. Well, we better get going. We're taking two cars and since my Jeep is totaled thanks to Pinky-"

"Hey! It wasn't just my fault."

"Actually, it's not totaled." Gajeel interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Well… While you two were all lovey dovey in the infirmary, I got out early and started working on it in anticipation for today. It's a shame that the one time you let Flame Brain drive, he totaled it."

Lucy smiled. This was a sign of good luck.

"Alright then. Can we drive it?"

Gajeel scoffed. "What do you take me for, Bunny Girl? Of course you can. Hell, I bet it'll run better than before."

Lucy couldn't help but smiled even wider.

"Then let's go! Natsu, Wendy, and Levy with me. The rest go with Erza in the pick up."

"Umm, there's only room for three here and that's if we get the squirt," Gray said. "Sorry Gajeel, we're kicking you out."

But Gajeel didn't mind if he was gonna be with Shrimp as he grumbled just for show.

"Then it's settled. Laxus already prepped our bags, so we're ready to head out!" Lucy said.

The group headed to the garage, a place Lucy hadn't really scouted out before since Natsu always brought out the cars. **(Or I really just came up with it… ha)**

The space itself was nice and very spacious, but when filled with cars, it seemed to be quite smaller. Still it would be a good place to hide children and oldies when the big fight came.

"Ready?" Lucy asked to no one in particular.

"Oh I was fucking born ready," Natsu said with a shiteating grin plastered across his face. And with that, they got in the car. Natsu had quickly stolen shotgun (or so he thought) while Wendy sat behind him. Gajeel sat behind Lucy to avoid fighting with natsu while Levy was smashed in the middle. She was really nervous since this was her first time leaving the base since the beginning of the apocalypse.

Lucy sensed this and gave Levy a smile. "Well, our first lesson in your training is going to be theoretical."

Levy was grateful to Lucy for distracting her.

"I'm sure you know a lot about zombies, but there are things you can't learn from inside a base. Still, we're starting with the basics.

"Zombies are attracted to sound. One phone ringing or gasp, you're dead if you're alone. I've learned that the hard way. But as a group, you have a better chance. While there is no way to be completely silent, do limit the noise you make.

"To kill a zombie, there are two fatal spots and a couple that are good at slowing them down. Always aim for the head. That's where I suspect that whatever controls it takes root. The second spot is a little riskier, but the heart empties the brain of the infected blood. To slow it down, kneecaps are the best option."

Lucy stopped speaking and let Natsu take over as she eased past the front gate guards, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach as the base got further away.

What was waiting for them in Hargeon?

Where would this horrible mission lead them after?

But Lucy cleared her head. She needed to take this one step at a time.

When Natsu had finished his little bit, Lucy cut in again.

"Alright. We're taking a break right now and discussing our plan of action."

They nodded in agreement.

"My first guess is the Le Meridian in the northern section of Hargeon. It was the hotel that my parents stayed in. Otherwise, I'd say the Hargeon branch of the company. But that's on the opposite side of the town." Lucy said.

"Then why don't we split up?" Levy asked. "It'd save time and energy."

"Bad idea, shrimp. Lucy is only one entity and the only one who knows where the keys mught beso she wouldn't be able to guide both teams."

"Oh that's true. But then we really nned to hurry, right?"

"Yup. So that's why we need to discuss roles now. Levy, you're gona sit this one out with Gajeel so you can watch and learn." Natsu decided.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on Flame Brain. Why the hell am I staying here?"

"You need to explain any actions to Levy to help her get a grasp on thinking on the feild. There's no time to stop and think when a zombie has decided to fuck with you."

"Yeah well… no one can possibly reason why you act so stupidly," Gajeel grumbled in protest, but left it that. As Natsu and Lucy laid down a few options, Wendy immediately decided the best one and then they were left with an awkward silence in the car.

"Well, what about Gray and the others?" Levy asked.

"They'll follow on once I brief them."

"Okay."

The silence returned as Lucy drove them closer and closer to Le Meridian. From what Lucy could tell, the place had been looted a few times from the broken windows and shattered glass. The once beuatiful higlight of Hargeon had crumbled in the destruction of humanity and was now only a fraction of its former glory since her visit during the first few weeks of the apocalypse.

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked, sensing Lucy's doubt.

"Yeah. I just hope this is it. If it's not, more lives will be lost." Lucy said as sheloaded her gun with bullets. That was right… they were running low on ammunition too so she had to make every shot count.

"Ready Wendy?" She asked.

"Of course. Let's do this."

The team of three exited their car and crept towards the hotel. 12 floors of unknown danger awaited them and there were only 6 of them. Romeo was staying with Levy and Gajeel while Erza and Gray joined the team.

"Just like the old times, right?" Lucy murmured, trying to convince not only the others but herself as well.

She and Natsu lead the pack while Wendy brought up the rear. Levy watched in amazement as Lucy and Natsu tackled the few straggling zombies while Erza and Gray went up ahead with Wendy.

Once they had finished stabbing out some brains here and there, Lucy and Natsu quickly rejoined the others inside the building to which Levy could only see through the broken windows.

"Did you see the way Lucy baited the zombies?"

Levy nodded.

"Never do that until you're advanced enough."

Levy hmphed and pouted. Gajeel wasn't being useful at all.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Natsu quickly found the stairs and told the rest to work on clearing floors. That way, Lucy and Natsu could quickly find the room and key while being as safe as possible in this world.

From what Lucy remembered, Jude had rented an entire floor in order to impress his new wife or so the maids had said. The important thing she remembered from what her mother said was that she had loved the balcony that was right above the buffet. So, her first job was to find the buffet. She could have sworn she heard Natsu's endless stomach growl when she said that.

The lobby had been completely ransacked so there was no help there which left them to rely on the stairwell.

On floor two, there were only empty rooms. No beds. No mini-fridges. The same went for the third and fourth floor. And the fifth too unfortunately.

But then Natsu noticed something on floor six.

"Hold up Luce… can you read this?" Natsu pointed to a really dusty and cracked sign that hung above the now broken fire alarm.

Lucy gingerly wiped away some dirt and tried not to gag at the stench. She didn't even want to know what had happened.

Only a few letter remained, but Lucy could see the indentation where the missing letters would have gone.

"Good work Natsu! I think this says buffet." Natsu's stomach definitely growled that time as both of them practically sprinted up the stairs to the seventh floor.

Lucy had a bad feeling when she saw a lot of stuff strewn everywhere. From bedding to rotten and moldy food to paper, there was at least one of everything there.

"Uh oh," Natsu murmured. "This doesn't look good."

Lucy didn't say a word as she slowly walked past all the debris to the opposite side of the hallway where the windows overlooked the ocean.

As expected, the door was locked and Lucy looked around to find something to open it only for Natsu to kick it open.

"You idiot!" She cried and tackled him as an arrow narrowly missed him.

"Didn't I tell you that the rooms were booby-trapped?" She cried. Natsu blushed at their proximity, but blamed it on the surprise.

"Maybe? I don't know. I kinda tuned you out for a bit."

Natsu expected some strong words from Lucy or maybe a playful whack to his head, but what she really did shocked him. And that was something very few people could do.

Lucy had slapped him. Hard.

"What the-"

"You moron! You could have died!" She snarled and Natsu noticed her eyes began to water. He suddenly felt very guilty.

"Well-" Lucy wasn't done yet.

"When I say things, they're important. Listen for once in your life."

"...sorry," he mumbled and was appalled when he found himself unable to meet her eyes.

"Don't do that again. Don't scare me like that again," Lucy said and clenched his shirt in an effort to keep the tears in.

"I promise," Natsu said softly. And then his stomach growled again.

With the moment ruined, Lucy awkwardly rolled off him and brushed some dirt off her pants before lending a hand to Natsu, who cautiously took it. The first thing he did was inspect the arrow.

From what he could tell, the arrow was definitely pre apocalypse by the materials used and the slight dusting on the metal part.

"Fits the timeframe you gave," he said, shrugging and took a step towards the door.

"Wait! There might be more," Lucy said, giving him a pointed look.

"More? How the hell would there be-"

Lucy grabbed a piece of debris and threw it into the room which resulted in Natsu being proved drastically wrong when a couple more arrows shot out.

"I'll betcha Saggitarius had a hand in this. But it should be clear for now."

Natsu tentatively followed Lucy as she confidently walked into the room. When no arrows flew around, he relaxed a little but still kept his guard up.

After taking a careful look around the room, Lucy sent Natsu to search the bathroom while she tackled the closets first. Her father had rented these rooms for only a small time and while he and Layla had probably returned from time to time, Lucy could see evidence of others renting the room as well.

That meant that the key as somewhere permanent, if it was here at all.

* * *

**Phew. So this didn't come as late as WWA, but damn... So as I explained in my other story, I'm going on a semi-haitus where I'll be updating maybe 1-2 more times this month because I have a shitton of homework (damn AP class) and I'm also really behind in my writing (gah I only have half of the next chappie written!) I have also now just realized how much of a couch potato my lazy ass has been (I binged soooo many tv shows and animes) and I promise I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible!**

**Please enjoy my wonderful readers!**

**-eventinierboat**


	24. Hesitating

**Chapter 24: Hesitating**

Lucy went straight to work, shifting through old clothes and nicknacks when Natsu asked her a question.

"Hey Luce? It should be in here because of the booby traps, right?"

"Hopefully. Pisces was fully capable of setting these up as a decoy. But then again, maybe the office is the decoy."

Natsu didn't say anything else as he pretty much overturned the bathroom, rummaging through all the drawers and cabinets. He gagged at the sight of the toilet and moldy towels that were left behind. Yet, he frowned. There was definitely nothing here, so why was his gut insisting to search here.

What would have survived three years of abuse and insanity? It had to be somewhere that no one other than Lucy would think to look.

"Can you tell me about Pisces?" Natsu shouted.

"Why?"

"You're the one intended to find the key, so it's got to be personalized to you."

"Fine. Um, I guess Pisces was the tech whiz of the group. Pisces often designed the gear for the group, with the help of his mother, of course. But they couldn't push past the waterproof part, so Loke often looked elsewhere for those type of missions."

A tech whiz… Natsu could only see three things that resemble anything technological and only one of those was not waterproof.

"Genius," Natsu whispered as he found something that would help him. His knife seemed to work just fine. He furrowed his eyebrows as he carefully unscrewed the screws that help the outlet case to the wall. Once both fell to the ground, he growled when the case didn't straight up come off.

"Hope I don't get electrocuted," Natsu murmured as he stuck his knife in the small crack between the outlet and the wall. Grunting, he tried to use the knife as a lever and succeeded.

"Yosh!" He exclaimed as he pulled it out and saw the key, sitting there in all its glory. But it wasn't alone.

Natsu shrieked.

[time skip]

"Arghhh! Erza! Can't we just see what's taking so long? We've already killed like 80 zombies and they're still looking for it!"

"Don't exaggerate Gray. I doubt we broke 40, right Wendy?"

"Yup. 37 in total."

"Fine. But you have to admit that they're taking forever! It's just a key! How hard can it be?"

"Well, we must imagine what the room looks like when compared to this building. It's going to be hard to find anything in that mess, especially since Natsu's sense of smell is so strong."

"As long as they aren't holed up and smoching, they're fine." Gray muttered and sighed as he plopped down on the cleanest spot of the floor he could find.

"Hardy har har, Ice Dick. We're right here you blind -"

"Enough Natsu. We don't have time." Lucy barked. "I need Levy. I can't do this alone."

* * *

Cana wiped dirty sweat off her face as she longed for booze, but her father had confiscated her secret stash. And her not-so-secret stash too. How much more of this heat was she going to have to endure? Damn July.

But, she brightened when she remembered that she'd hidden another bottle of booze in her bag. As she opened it up hungrily, she hummed to herself.

"Nice try, but Jellal found that one," Gildarts said without looking behind him and Cana growled.

"Come on! Must you really take _every single drop_ of booze I have?"

"Yes. We need to focus."

"But I can only focus when I have booze!"

"No. You just get drunk. Now shut up and let me concentrate." Gildarts hissed.

"Meanie," Cana pouted, but didn't say another word. Her father did have a point. Loke was out and most likely telling whoever was helping him where their base was. Cana looked back as her home seemed to get smaller and smaller. Magnolia was once a joyful and amusing town, with their focus on their main attraction: Fairy Tail High School. Whether it was academics, sports, or just a couple of clubs, Makarov had made it his mission to make sure they came first. Sure, the school had it rough for a while when a rival school gave them a hard time, but they had prevailed nonetheless. And to see Magnolia now… it broke Cana's heart. They had stripped the closest house and stores bare to build a wall and over time, everything within a 5 mile radius was just dirt now. The worst part: it would never be the same.

"Cana! Let's go!" Jellal called over his shoulder when he realized the girl was staring at the base.

"Yeah! I'm coming!"

The problem was that they had no idea where to start looking for Loke other than the place where Laxus was held. While they had gotten rid of a number of zombies thanks to NaLu's beautiful and pyromaniac idea, it was still Sector 1. They couldn't afford to lose anyone.

"Damn heat." Cana muttered.

"Deal with it, honey."

"Shut it."

"Is that how you're really going to treat your father?" Gildarts pouted.

"No. It's how I'm treating the guy who stole all my booze."

"Please guys. We have no car and if a zombie hears us, we're going to have to run as fast as we can because we can't waste any ammo."

Jellal had a point, much to Cana's disappointment. But he also participated in the theft of all her booze.

"Yeah yeah. We'll stop. But to tell us, Blueberry Boy… How's the mighty miss Erza doing? Is she good in bed?"

When a faint blush appeared on his cheeks, Cana felt justice flow through her veins for the brief moment before Jellal showed his hand.

"You little…" Cana growled.

"If you're quiet until we reach the next sector, you can have some."

Jellal dangled the kidnapped bottle of booze in front of her before putting it back in his bag. It was Cana's fault really… they never said what they did with her booze so it was her fault that she assumed they left it behind. Really, Jellal had brought it for two reasons. First, he could probably use this as a sort of bomb. His second option was to use the booze as a tool to shut up the father daughter duo. What could he say? It worked very well.

"Heads up, blueberry. 10 O'clock on your left." Gildarts said urgently. Jellal saw some dust stirring and immediately reached for his knife while Cana turned off the safety on her own gun. If they didn't know any better, they could have sworn that it sounded like a car.

Of course, when the car emerged, they knew they were screwed until it stopped and the window rolled down.

"Heard you guys were looking for me! Well, here I am!" A rather annoying voice sang, the smirk evident in his voice.

Loke.

* * *

Levy was royally pissed at Gajeel. The idiot was supposed to be training her, yet all she learned was that everything was 'too advanced' for her. So when she asked for the basics, Gajeel shrugged.

"Aim for the head. Of course, I have no idea how good your shot is so wait until you have practice."

"You know what!? I want a new teacher. All you've taught me is that you're oh so much better and-" Levy was cut off by Gajeel putting a finger to her lips. She had half a mind to bite it, but it looked pretty filthy. He had three seconds to take it off.

"Hold that thought. I think I hear them."

"Who?"

"Lucy and the others! Who else?"

There was no way that Gajeel actually heard the-

"LEVY! We need your help!" Gray shouted, leading the group of frantically running teenagers to the car.

The hell? How did Gajeel even- No. That was a question for another time. Now it was her time to shine.

"Watch and learn. Metal brains." She teased and opened the car door to let Lucy and Natsu inside only to have the key shoved in her hands.

"Tell me where you found it." She asked, examining the key.

"Natsu found it in an outlet in the bathroom."

"That's not very helpfu-"

"But there was a note with it."

Now Levy's interest was piqued. "Show me."

The rolled piece of paper was tiny, so the message would be short. Not good. She unrolled it and of course, the message was cryptic.

_**Help scour me now and the East Wind Blows**_

Yet Levy found this to be really familiar. Could it be..

"Lucy? Who would have put the note? Virgo or Pisces?"

"Most likely Virgo. Each person only knew the location of two keys: their key and the one before them."

"Then did she like to watch tv? Netflix maybe?"

Lucy smiled. "Definitely. Sometimes, she would sneak me to her room where we'd binge on Netflix shows. Stranger Things, Umbrella Academy, etc."

"What about Sherlock?"

Lucy scrunched her eyebrows as she tried to remember.

"I think we watched that, but I don't really remember."

"Brilliant. My god. That's brilliant! Sherlock, season 4, episode 3. Euros's song." Levy exclaimed.

"But what does that have to do with where the key is?" Natsu asked.

"Well, the whole point was that Euros was lonely because she was so smart. So she got jealous of Sherlock's best friend and killed him. Of course, she gave him this song as a riddle to solve it, but he couldn't and the best friend drowned in the well…"

Lucy felt her memory jogging and she smiled.

"Fast Forward like a bunch of years later and we have Sherlock as an adult who visits his sister with his brother and best friend. But she took over the prison and after a bunch of trial things, she kidnaps Watson and Mycroft, right?" Lucy asked and they shared a smile.

"Yup. And she brought them somewhere: their old home."

Levy breathed a sigh of relief for solving it.

"So where to next?" Gray asked, poking his head in through the window.

"Acalypha. We're heading to my old house."

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait... Please don't kill moi. I swear I have a good reason! It's because I was the usual idiot and left all my AP and honors summer work for the last weeks and yeah... I kinda died for a few weeks. And then there's the whole thing with school starting a week earlier than it should and yeah. I tried to get ahead, and I've done okay in this story... But I have barely touched my other story because I want to rewrite it from the beginning. So please bear with me while I finish this story and then all my WWA fans will be satisfied. **

**Love y'all!**

**Mwah!**

**-eventinierboat**

**PS thanks for sticking with me! You have no idea how much it means to me!**


	25. So tonight we roll

**Chapter 25: So tonight we roll**

"Heard you guys were looking for me! Well, here I am!" A rather annoying voice sang, the smirk evident in his voice.

"Loke!" Cana shouted, grabbing her knife, ready to torture him for information. For what he did to Lucy and Natsu… he deserved for Cana to take his fingernails one by one. And then his toenails… and then his fingers and toes.. And the his-

"Woah woah woah," A new voice said. "Stand down! We've come here in peace! We mean you no harm!"

Cana looked to her father for his opinion. A simple nod told Cana to lower her knife, but keep it ready.

"Sorry for the intrusion. And the surprise." The unknown guy said, getting out of the car and walking around to Loke's window.

"My name is Sting and my base heard you guys were looking for one Loke. Correct?" Sting said.

"You!" Jellal shouted.

"Yeah? I'm awesome, right? Just fabulous? No?"

"You're from Sabertooth!" Guildarts added. "Just how many of our supply raids have you commandeered?"

"Less than him and his partner, that's for sure. Though I haven't seen his partner for a few months. Last I heard, she joined you guys." Sting said, his voice getting colder the more he said.

"Who?"

"Heard she goes by Lucy now." Sting supplied. "Does that ring a few bells?"

"Sorry. Haven't heard of her." Cana snarled.

Sting scoffed.

"Wait...Are you talking about that blond who kept stealing supplies?" Jellal asked.

"...duh!" Sting remarked.

"Oh yeah! She kept getting under Natsu's skin, right?" Guildarts exclaimed, catching on to Jellal's plan.

"That's sad. Doesn't matter I guess. Well, then why did you guys need this idiot?" Sting asked.

"He caused one of our cars to crash during a mission. Two of our best were severely injured."

"Nothing dandelions couldn't fix, I'm assuming. So who were the two?"

"Erza and Natsu." Cana said. "But stop distracting us and get to the point. What do you want?"

"Nothing! Here ya go!" Sting said, opening the door where Loke was. Cana and Jellal immediately reached for their guns in anticipation.

Sting yanked Loke out of his seat, causing the wanted man to stumble a bit before gaining his balance again.

"See ya guys later. Well. Actually. I hope not." Sting said before jumping back into the driver's seat and driving off.

"Well that was weird and really suspicious." Cana said, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "Why didn't he want anything?"

Loke cleared his throat. "He put a tracker on me. In reality he wants me to infiltrate your base unnoticed and then attack and steal your supplies, but he didn't account for how much you guys need me and I need you to get to Lucy."

Cana, Gildarts, and Jellal were rendered speechless.

"Well, who's gonna punch me and do the honors? I'm waiting!" Loke said, opening his arms in invitation

Gildarts cracked his knuckles as he readied to punch him until Cana stopped him.

"The booze. Give him the booze and then he can throw up." She said, not wanting anymoew violence at the moment. "I don't want you to do permanent damage."

Reluctantly, Gildarts gave Jellal his pack which held quite a lot of booze.

"Alright Loke. Drink up!" Cana sneered.

* * *

Mirajane hadn't left Laxus's side since Lucy and her team left and she grew increasingly worried by his behavior. He was definitely in deep thought.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing…"

"Don't even try that with me." She warned, her death aura appearing for a brief moment, successfully 'convincing' Laxus to share what was on his mind.

"It's the whole thing. So what? We get the keys, go to the base, and then get the cure? What will it even do? I mean, it can make us immune or turn zombies back into humans or even be faulty. And then what? It's not like Fiore was the only place that was hit, right? Hell, I'm sure there are other places _just like us_ in America and Japan. What do we do then? How do we spread the word that there's a cure? How do we replicate it without the proper supplies and knowledge?"

Mirajane wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "Honestly, I have no idea. But if we were able to make it this far, then we'll find a way to survive past the cure."

Laxus looked at Mirajane's eyes.

"But how many people have to die?"

That was a question no one knew the answer to.

* * *

"Lucy. I thought you said house." Gray murmured upon seeing where Lucy used to call home. Sort of. "This is like a castle."

Erza whacked Gray for his rudeness.

"Well, it's all I had. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Levy, I need you and Wendy to come with me. Erza, take the others through the first floor. Virgo spent most of her time in the kitchen, so do check everything there." Lucy ordered.

"Of course. And you?" Erza asked. "Where are you going?"

"Well, the only other two places Virgo actually spent time was in her bedroom and mine and both of those are located on the second floor." Lucy said. "Everyone good?"

There was a total consensus of yes, but they all wondered if Lucy was okay. After all, this was the place where she more or less killed her best friend and parents… no normal person would be okay. But Lucy gave them a smile.

"Let's go. The faster we do this, the faster we can stop the zombie virus from spreading." Natsu said and everyone agreed.

Lucy lead her group to the stairs, avoiding any zombies that they could, as quietly as they could. Of course, this didn't last long as the wood had become rotten over time. The moment Lucy put her weight on the first step, it gave way and she let out a loud yelp.

"Shit," She whispered and reached for her gun as the zombies started coming, like moths to a flame. "Get ready. This won't be pretty." She warned her friends as the first zombie came. It looked oddly like one of her old butlers.

"Wendy, you take the left, I've got the right." Lucy ordered, sending out a shot to the head. Bullseye.

"What about me," Levy asked, clutching her knife tight enough to make her knuckles white.

"We need a way to get up the stairs without falling through. Find it." Lucy ordered.

"Got it."

And as so the zombies filled the room, Lucy and Wendy got back to back.

"Just like the old times, right?" Wendy murmured as she worked on picking off the first line of zombies. Her aim had considerably improved since Lucy met her in Hargeon, and a bit of pride filled Lucy's heart. She had really turned a timid girl into a warrior.

"It two months is that long ago." Lucy replied, showing off her own skills. Sure, she was pretty okay with a regular pistol, but she had been itching to use her shotgun axe since getting Laxus back. Of course, this was the one Gajeel had made, so the ax was permanently stuck to the shotgun. That didn't matter as Lucy had no trouble cutting through the lines.

Levy was a little scared by the gleam in Lucy's eyes as she swung, but something caught her eye. Pink?

Suddenly there was a large bang.

"Come at me you dumbass bitches!" An all too familiar voice yelled.

Nastu!

"What's going on?" LEvy asked.

"I think Natsu's drawing them his way so we can get up the stairs." Wendy said. "Let's go!"

Levy nodded. "We can't put our entire body weight on each step, so if we run up quickly, we should be fine."

**(Please don't think that Levy's solution is scientifically correct or anything because I just made it up. If it is, then please give me a Nobel Prize, tho.)**

Lucy nodded. "Wendy, you're first. Then Levy."

"But Lucy-"

"Go. I'll be right behind you. I just can't let Natsu deal with this my himself." Lucy explained.

And so Wendy lightly sprinted up the steps only to find the second floor eerily quiet and empty.

"Levy," She whispered and beckoned her to follow. As soon as Levy tested the second step, her foot sunk a little. It made sense, though. She weighed much more than Wendy and Lucy was also called as well as more muscular and _endowed_ than both of them combined. No wonder the first step broke.

And so Levy did her best to run up the stairs with her shoddy cardio. As soon as she made it up, she turned to see Lucy smiling. Something was really off.

Lucy allowed herself to put the maximum amount of weight that it took for her to safely climb to the middle of the staircase.

"C'mon Lucy! You're almost there!" Levy whisper shouted. Why was Lucy stopping?

Lucy took the walky talky out of her pocket and changed the channel. On the way there while most of her friends were sleeping, she was playing with an idea in her head. And so she came across a channel that emitted just the thing she needed to make it work.

Wendy was about to go back down for Lucy when a sudden piercing noise filled the room. As if they all shared a single brain cell, the zombies slowly turned to face Lucy and the noise.

Everything stood still for a single moment. The zombies assessing who was making the noise and the threat level. Wendy and Levy standing still, faces showing their shock. Natsu's eyes widening as he realized what his future girlfriend was doing. Erza, Gray, Romeo, and Gajeel pausing their search to listen to the noise. And finally, Lucy with a hand proudly holding the walky talky in front of her and her face set in determination.

And after that single moment, chaos broke.


	26. This is How Legends are Made

**Chapter 26: This is How Legends are Made**

_Everything stood still for a single moment. The zombies assessing who was making the noise and the threat level. Wendy and Levy standing still, faces showing their shock. Natsu's eyes widening as he realized what his future girlfriend was doing. Erza, Gray, Romeo, and Gajeel pausing their search to listen to the noise. And finally, Lucy with a hand proudly holding the walky talky in front of her and her face set in determination. _

_And after that single moment, chaos broke._

* * *

The first to react were the zombies as they desperately scrambled to get to this new noise. Lucy watched as at least 29 zombies started scrambling towards her and she couldn't help but feel fear.

Wendy and Levy were frozen in time, having never witnessed something like this.

Natsu, on the other hand, had witnessed his fair share of not-so-heroic suicides. They never ended well.

"Lucy! Get out of there!" He screamed, running towards the stairs as four heads popped around the corner.

Erza was the first one to fully digest and put together what was happening, but it was too late to do anything.

Lucy held her breath as the zombies started coming up the stairs. She tentatively took a step back, wincing when she felt the stair bend to her weight. By now, the first zombies were approaching fast, so Lucy had no choice. She backpedaled as fast as possible, her eyes always on the approaching death creatures as she prayed her plan would work.

And then the stairs collapsed from the weight of all the stinky monsters.

"Wendy! Natsu! Give it all you got!" She cried, now safely on the top steps with her friends as she unloaded her pistol into the hoard of slobbering shits.

Her first 8 bullets met perfect headshots and she could see other zombies falling down left and right from the pinpoint accuracy of her teammates. Sensing a teachable moment, she turned to Levy who was frozen in fear.

"Take this gun and point at the heads. There's about two bullets left."

Lucy said, calmly pressing the gun into her friend's hand. "Right now, they're stuck so hurry.

Levy slowly nodded and raised the gun, her hands quivering.

"Two hands, and just look where you want to shoot. Odds are, you're hands and bullet will follow."

Levy nodded and took a deep breath before firing.

Her hands were thrown back from the release of the firing pin and Lucy watched as one bullet was fairly accurate, going in one zombie's ear. But the other bullet…

"Watch it, shrimp!" Gajeel shouted while narrowly dodging that second bullet.

"Sorry," Levy cried, realizing her mistake.

"It's alri-"

"Lucy," Natsu growled, dead serious, walking to the base of the stairs/pile of dead zombies. "What the hell was that?"

"It was a trap." Lucy stated, not liking the tone Natsu was using

"No. That was a fucking one-way ticket to the after-life. What the hell were you thinking?"

Lucy was getting pissed. "I'm sorry, but it seems that everyone here is in one piece and the zombies are finally done with chasing us around. As for what I was thinking: I was thinking of a way to get rid of the horde of death machines because playing sniper at close range wasn't gonna cut it." She hissed, her aura getting really scary.

"It was reckless!" Natsu shouted.

"It was necessary!" Lucy shouted back.

"Guys," Gajeel tried to cut in, but he went ignored.

"It is _never_ necessary to sacrifice your life when there's another way out." Natsu snarled.

"Umm, guys! Now's not the time for a lover's quarrel." Gray tried to help, but he too went ignored.

"But there WAS NO other way out. And if anyone gets to choose when or not to put my life on the line, it's me. Definitely not you."

"Idiots! We need to hurry!" Erza shouted, but her words fell upon deaf ears.

"So what? You can bitch at me all you want when you think I do something stupid, but when the tables are turned, it's suddenly unacceptable?" Natsu asked.

"There's a difference between ignoring life or death information and willingly walking into a trap an-"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!" Natsu said.

"ENOUGH!" Someone interrupted, finally getting the duo's attention. To everyone's surprise, it was Wendy.

"Lucy, Natsu's right. Your plan was too reckless and overall stupid, but Natsu… that doesn't give you a reason to scream at her. But right now, we're gonna have to set it aside because we're on a deadline. We need to find Virgo's stupid key so we can get the location to Loke's key. Got it?" She asked, her aura proving her maturity.

There were a few nods. "Good. Then save the bickering for later. Lucy, show us to Virgo's room."

And Lucy willingly walked away with Wendy and Levy, who was still in a little shock, leaving Natsu and the rest to figure out what to do.

Lucy immediately knew where to look upon entering Virgo's room, realizing how obvious it was.

She didn't say a word as she rushed to Virgo's dresser and opened the drawer. It appeared empty, but Lucy knew better.

She quickly pressed down, dislodging the fake bottom and showing a collection of things that she and Virgo had cherished.

As much as she wanted to hold onto the necklace she'd given Virgo, or the worn down deck of cards they'd played with for so often, she had to focus on the reason she came here.

She recognized the key immediately, picking it up and examining it.

"This is it. Let's go." She said, adding it to her necklace.

"But what about the other key?" Levy asked, unnerved by her friend's attitude.

"It should be at the base by now." Lucy said.

"What?"

"It's at the base. Now let's go before someone else dies." She snapped, walking out.

Wendy and Levy shared a worried look. But, they made the mistake of assuming it was Natsu's outburst that caused her mood.

When the others asked about the clue, Lucy was short with her answer as she completely ignored Natsu. Of course, she made sure to be in separate cars as they drove the long way back to the base. But that didn't save her from the lecture since she was with Erza.

"Lucy. I know you don't want to hear this, but Natsu _was_ right to an extent. Going ahead and dying won't do su any good and if you want my opinion-"

"Which I _**don't**_." Lucy stated, coldly, but went ignored.

"- it's just running away. Say you had died back there! Who would help us find the cure? Who would help us find Loke's key?"

Lucy sighed. "Loke and his key are at the base."

"What?" Erza shouted. "How the hell?"

"He'd hidden his key at Sabertooth high, the school I would have ended up attending. So when he escaped, I figured he was after it."

"That's why you were so lax about him escaping," Gray commented softly.

"Sorry." Lucy stated, not really that sorry. It wasn't really her fault… she just hadn't told them everything because of what happened with Mest.

"Well, let's just get going then," Erza said, her voice unusually soft, laced with poorly concealed hurt and Lucy felt the slightest bit of guilt for keeping that from everyone.

Of course, the walky-talky caught their attention and, as Lucy predicted, it was Jellal reporting their capture of Loke.

"As I expected. Please search him thoroughly and let me know if you have his key." Lucy ordered, urging Gray to drive faster.

There was some muffled voices and a yelp of surprise.

"Hand it over, you pussy cat."

Lucy snorted. How the Mighty Lion of the Zodiac had fallen...

"He's demanding to speak with you. Would you mind?" Jellal asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Go ahead." Lucy stated as she anticipated Loke's voice.

"Hey there," The smooth voice said through the device. Even though she tried to prepare, she felt the old feeling of nostalgia from her childhood.

"How'd it go, pussy cat?" She asked, attempting to mask the concern in her voice, but Loke could see it, clear as day.

"Looks like _someone_ missed me," he teased. "But it went well. Got a little beat up by their leader. Turns out they had just undergone a mutiny, so there was a lot of tension."

"Shit. So where did you hide it this time?" Lucy asked.

"English room."

"My favorite subject. Well, I would have easily gotten it myself if you let me," She reminded him. "So get off your high horse."

"What high horse?" Loke asked innocently.

"Shut up. You know what I mean. But putting that aside, we need to hurry and give the walky-talky back to Jellal. The sooner we get to the base, the sooner we can get the cure."

"Sure. As long as _you_ make up with your boyfriend." Loke sneered, causing Lucy to choke on air.

"I'm sorry. What? I don't ha-"

"Don't give me that shit. I practically raised you at the age of 14. I can hear in your voice that you're hurt and it's common sense to assume that it was Pinky after seeing your partnership before the crash. Go apologize or something and make up. We need you in tip top shape."

"..." Lucy stayed silent.

"You know, you used to say that you'd marry me when you were younger."

"Okay. JELLAL! Time to shut him up!" Lucy said, blush apparent as she prayed that her friends missed that last part. But the chuckle from Gray said otherwise.

"I'm just happy you found someone more worthy." Loke said before his voice was replaced by a deeper voice, leaving Lucy in a shocked state. She felt very touched even if she was still mad at him for duping her.

"Sorry. Jellal is a little busy, so you're gonna have to dal with me for the moment Erza Jr." Gildarts jokes, bringing Lucy out of her shock.

"Oh, umm, yeah. So since you guys will be arriving first, I need you to tell Makarov that everything happened sooner than I expected and to get Laxus's team prepped."

"Sure thing. Anything else?" Gildarts asked, but Lucy was more distracted by the scene unfolding behind them, both Erza and her paling at the sight.

"Lucy! You still there or are you busy snogging with the punk?" Gildarts teased.

"S-sorry. Umm… scratch what I said. Tell Makarov to get _everyone_ armed. I think Phantom Lord is coming our way."


	27. Never Giving In

**Chapter 27: Never Giving In**

What had made Lucy so nervous was the wall to the right of the car. At first Erza hadn't given the symbol a second thought until something clicked in her mind.

"Stop the car!" She shouted out of the blue and Gray slammed his foot down immediately, tires screeching.

"What the fuck, Erza? You could have killed us!" Gray shouted, clutching his sprinting heart. But nobody paid any heed to his words, much to his annoyance. Of course, that was until he saw what had caught their eyes.

"My god." He murmured at the scene, noticing Lucy lift the walky0talky to her lips again.

"S-sorry. Umm… scratch what I said. Tell Makarov to get _everyone_ armed. I think Phantom Lord is coming our way."

In front of them stood a wall, covered in spray paint in the form of a notorious symbol: the Phantom Lord symbol.

"Impossible," Erza whispered.

"Apparently not," another voice said behind them. It was Natsu, who had stopped the car upon seeing Gray's panicked brake slam.

"No fucking way, sherlock," Gajeel joined.

"And yet I didn't ask for your opinion… _Watson_." Natsu snapped.

"Guys. Please. Now's not the time," Wendy said, her face showing her fear. She still remembered the last time they attacked and her worst fear had come true. Natsu had been seriously injured and the only one who had anything close to the severity of his wounds was Erza, who had also given the fight her all.

But there had also been many other injuries that had filled up too many rooms with wounded people. And the people who had died… It was traumatic for everyone.

"We need to hurry," Lucy said softly. "Let's go."

Laxus was the first to greet the returning party of now 4 people, desperate to see the whole dilemma through.

"Thank god. I take it you guys found Loke?" He asked, but something was off.

Gildarts pushed past Loke, his face contorted in worry.

"I need to speak with Makarov. Now." He commanded, and Laxus feared the worst.

"What's wrong?"

"...nothing. I just need to speak to your grandfather right now so please take me to him."

Laxus looked to Jellal and Cana for answers, but neither met his eyes. As much as he wanted to refuse to lead them to his grandpa, it was obviously a serious matter.

"Just tell me as soon as possible." Laxus growled. "He's in Natsu's old room."

"Huh? His old room?"

"The one he used to share with Gray."

"Oh yeah. Of course," Gildarts said quickly. He forgot that Natsu spent so much time in Lucy's room that he practically lived there.

Cana and Jellal brought Loke to the infirmary and slapped on a pair of handcuffs.

"Just a precaution," Jellal said only for Loke to reply with, "Kinky."

Meanwhile, Makarov was startled when his door slammed open to reveal a disgruntled looking Gildarts. His hair was a mess and his clothes were more tattered than usual, not to mention that the look on his face was the very rare look of panic that Makarov had the privilege of witnessing.

"I suppose that you're not here with good news, huh?" Makarov said, gesturing to one of the beds as an invitation for Gildarts to sit.

"Is it ever?" Gildarts asked, refusing the offer. Makarov admitted Gildarts had a point. Bad news and Zombie apocalypse went hand in hand.

"It's about Lucy's team. They were successful in collecting all the keys-"

"That fast?" Makarov accidentally blurted out, a very unusual blunder for the man.

"Well, Loke had his on him."

"Very well. Sorry for interrupting. Please continue."

"We gave them a call on the radio and caught them on their way back. Things were all great and shit until they came across a sign."

"...sign?" Makarov questioned.

"Makarov. It was the Phantom Lord logo." Gildarts said, desperation apparent in his voice.

Makarov dropped the object he was holding in shock.

"Come again?"

"Phantom Lord left a message. They're coming." Gildarts cried. "We need to alert everyone and reinforce the walls."

Makarov took a deep, but shaky breath. This was bad. They still needed to get the cure, find a way to reproduce it and then spread it around Fiore.

"And the cure? Are we just going to wait?"

"Lucy said that she could manage with a small team to retrieve the cure. But the problem is that the cure… it's not very close and we need everyone if we can even hope of winning."

Makarov knew that he didn't have a choice. "Lucy needs to go. If she gets the cure, then we have essentially won."

"Okay."

"Use the loud speakers. Announce a Code 7 and make sure everyone is armed and ready. How many of us are there right now?"

"About 117. Most likely around 110 without Lucy's team."

"..."

The silence said it all. 110 was definitely not enough to fight back against the Phantom Lord, given how dirty they fought. Especially since Lucy was likely to take a good number of their best fighters.

"Go." Makarov ordered when Gildarts hesitated.

"Shouldn't you or Lucy be the one doing this?" He asked. "If they hear Phantom Lord is attacking from me, I can assure you that there will be some who refuse to fight and we need them. But coming from you or Lucy, the one who has offered the most hope for the base, I'm sure it will inspire them."

Makarov felt like sighing was too much of an understatement, but it was the only thing he could do in the predicament.

"I'll have Lucy and Natsu do it. Somehow, they both have a way with words." He admitted, but left out the part where he felt _inadequate_ to lead his base.

But Gidlarts saw right through him.

"You know… out of all the people here, it was you who was ready to open your arms to outsiders. You saved _so many_ lives that in a way, every single person here is indebted to you. And trust me when I say that I speak for all when saying that there's no other person better fit to lead us. Where you go, we all follow." Gildarts said, extending a hand.

Makarov looked up, his eyes tearing up. "Thank you," He whispered.

{tImE SkIp don't friggin' forget hoe]

Only those in Makarov's close circle knew that something was seriously wrong while the rest of the base went about their day. Some were visiting the Cafeteria to see if they could score a snack while others were doing their chores, like laundry and dusting. THe truth was, they had no idea what was happening until a familiar voice appeared on the loudspeakers.

"OI! Is it working Ice Dick?"

Many laughed, memories resurfacing of Natsu and Gray arguing over the loudspeakers and pranking people. No one thought much of it. It just a harmless prank, right?

Some people heard the faint scolding from Gray, breaking the news that he was live.

"Oh. Sorry about that guys. Well, hey. Right now is probably a good time to stop everything that your doing and listen carefully. I'm about to tell you some shit news.

"If you remember back, the last time something to this degree was announced, was about a year and a half ago when we were under attack from Phantom Lord. Out of everything, somehow we ended up losing more people in a battle between humans than when fighting the zombies. The truth was that they were despicable people who only sought the end of society.

"How do I know this? Well… we have significant evidence that makes _those bastards_ responsible for the Zombie outbreak. In fact, they developed the disease and spread it in an attempt to destroy all competition."

People gasped at the news. Most couldn't believe that it was a human who ended the world. And the world… the innocent people who couldn't protect themselves… they were just collateral damage in the big picture. Many felt like throwing up. Why were they being told this?

"And while we won, it was very marginal. But we still _won_. Unfortunately, their leader got away, and we have recently confirmed that they are planning another attack on us. Why? Why are we being targeted so much? Well, we have located a cure and are very close to getting it. So they have decided to attack us before we can."

There was panicking around the base. They were under attack from something worse than zombies…

"Please. Just stay with me for a couple of minutes. I remember that when this whole thing began, I started without a father because he had gone missing before the outbreak. And honestly, I'm glad he got to miss this, but I struggled to keep my family alive. I was lucky that I succeeded.

"My point is that we have all lost people who meant the world to us and we will continue to fall in numbers the longer the zombies walk free outside. I beg of you… please… help me win this fight. Help me protect my family and I'll help you protect yours.

"For Fairy Tail, I fight."

People were tearing up at hearing the pure sadness, regret and determination in their voice. His words… they were simple, but they sparked a flame in everyone's soul. They could do this. They could protect their family. They could see this to the end.

And then Gray took over, announcing their current status: Code 7.

It was time to finish this for once and for all.

* * *

**So school is tough. I could barely write this one. I think it's because I used to write during my bio class. But my Chem teacher is really observant, so I can't write in his class.**


End file.
